Konoha's Alchemist
by Hagane1
Summary: Losing an arm can be a hard thing, but even then, you can prevail.
1. Chapter 1

Naruto woke up in a hospital. It wasn't anything unusual since, for the last few years, he would always end up there after the October 10th. That day was his birthday or, what more people saw, the day the Kyūbi attacked. The crowds would get all drunk and they would usually just beat him unconscious followed by threats and curses.

He knew why it happened or at least, suspected. He wasn't stupid as most people thought, he was actually pretty smart. Ever since he learned how to transform, he would sneak into the library and just read so he eventually wound up reading about the Bijū. Comparing what he knew of them and what he had learned about the Kyūbi attack, he got the conclusion that he was a Jinchūriki. Not a good thing, but at least he knew that he wasn't a demon everyone thought he was.

He looked around and noticed that he was alone in the room. His vision was blurry and he felt dizzy, probably because of sedatives he received. It was probably another attack, but he couldn't really remember anything specific about it. He felt his forehead getting sweaty so he raised his right arm to wipe it off. There was only one problem with that action. His right arm was missing.

Naruto looked in shock as his right side was void of his arm. Everything that happened on that night came back to him. He remembered how they attacked him, tied him up and then, with one swift chop, relieved him of his arm. His face grimaced as the memories returned and his mouth opened to let out a scream filled with anguish. It wasn't so much because of the pain, but more that of his dreams getting crushed. How could he be a ninja with only one functioning arm?

He didn't know how long he screamed or when had he started to trash around. He didn't even notice the medics that entered and tried to calm him down. In the end, they shot him with another sedative to put him out so he wouldn't hurt himself even more. He fell into a restless sleep, filled with scenes of his torture.

Xxxx

Sarutobi sat in his office with a sad look on his face. When the ANBU came bearing the news of Naruto's demise, he was beyond angry. He wanted to run into the streets, killing anybody and everybody to avenge the eight year old boy currently lying in the hospital. In the end, he calmed down enough to send some of his men to track Jiraiya to see if there was anything they could do for the boy.

He knew that calling Tsunade would be a waste of time. Without Naruto's real arm, there wasn't any way to heal him and she probably wouldn't come back anyway. Jiraiya maybe knew of something in the world that could help the boy and, as his godfather, he deserved to be the first one to know.

His tobacco burned lightly as he sat solemnly, when a medic entered his office.

"Hokage-sama, the boy woke up few minutes ago," the medic said with a ragged breath. He ran without stopping for full ten minutes.

The Hokage's eyes widened and he stood up. "Take me to him, now!"

The medic nodded and they both ran back to the hospital. In front of the room, medic stopped to give the Hokage one last piece of information.

"Try not to wake him up again. When he saw the missing limb, he fell into shock and we barely restrained him," the medic said quietly.

"Thank you," Sarutobi said with a nod before entering the room in which the boy resided.

As soon as his eyes fell on the boy, his eyes filled with tears. He walked to the side of the bed and fell on his knees while his head rested on the bed.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I couldn't protect you well enough," Sarutobi spoke between sobs.

He really hated himself for not making the boy's life any easier. Shame filled him as his eyes traveled to the wrapped up stump that used to be his arm. He knew that only a miracle could make the boy a ninja.

He sat there for few more minutes, sobs escaping him quietly before standing up and leaving the room. He waved his hand and his two personal ANBU guards appeared.

"Tori, you will be stationed outside of the room and let no one but myself and the medics inside. Inu, you will be inside the room and if you see any of the medics planning to take the boy's life in his state, you have permission to use lethal force," Sarutobi said with an ordering voice.

The two ANBU guards saluted and went to their posts. Sarutobi knew that he could trust them and one of them was even the student of the boy's father. The two ANBU remained hidden in the shadows, both determined to keep the boy as safe as possible and ready to cut down any threat that may arise. They wouldn't fail their leader no matter what.

Xxxx

Sarutobi returned to his office and realized that someone was already occupying it. A small smile graced his face as he recognized the chakra signature of his student. He sat in his chair and sighed, beckoning his student to come out of the shadows.

"Hey, Old man. How are things?" Jiraiya asked with a smile.

"Hello, Jiraiya. The tings are… not so well," Sarutobi replied sadly. "It's about Naruto."

Jiraiya's smile faded and his face got more serious. "What happened?"

"He was attacked again, only this time, it is more serious," Sarutobi said with a frown. "His… arm was cut off."

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock before his face contorted in rage. "Those damn idiots! I will kill them!" he shouted angrily.

"Calm down, Jiraiya. It wouldn't be good for you to lose your head and do something stupid," the Hokage said calmly, even though he shared Jiraiya's viewpoint.

Jiraiya growled angrily. "Did you catch the attackers?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "We don't know who did it. The ANBU found him in the forest already armless. He was lucky that the Kyūbi stopped the bleeding so he wouldn't die from blood loss."

Jiraiya snorted. "Yeah, if you want to call it like that. If it weren't for the beast, he wouldn't be in this mess," he said before frowning sadly. "Sometimes I think that Minato should've let the fox continue the rampage. I don't think he would've done the same after what these bigots have done to his son."

"I agree," Sarutobi said quietly. "But what is done, is done. I haven't called you here to discuss what Minato should've done. I've called you here to ask you if you know any way to help Naruto. I know that he could use a puppet arm, but that thing is very risky to use for an active ninja. It would break apart even in sparring."

Jiraiya nodded. "I do know something, but it is very expensive and painful."

Sarutobi perked up. "Let me hear it."

"There is a small village on the other side of the south-eastern mountains of the Fire Country. I've heard there is someone very proficient in mechanics and technology who can create artificial arms better than any puppet arms in the world. If you want, I can take Naruto there and after that I can train him before returning for his graduation in few years."

"What's the name of the village?" Sarutobi asked hopefully.

"Resembool."

Sarutobi nodded. "Very well, take him there after he wakes up and regains a healthy state of mind. From what I've heard, he went into shock after he saw that he was missing his arm."

"Call me when he wakes up," Jiraiya said and leapt out of the window, leaving the old Kage to his musings.

Xxxx

Naruto's eyes opened and immediately darted to his stump. He felt tears well in his eyes and a sob escaped him. He continued to cry silently for a while, not noticing when the door opened and the Hokage entered.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said quietly.

Naruto was startled for a moment, but quickly got his bearings and wiped the tears from his eyes. His gaze went to the window in an effort to hide his pain and despair from the old Kage.

Sarutobi walked over to the boy's side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Naruto stiffened at the contact, but soon his shoulders started to shake as his sobs came again. Sarutobi hugged him gently, showing him that he's not alone. The boy cried for a while before settling down with one last whimper.

"Are you okay now, Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked softly to which Naruto nodded weakly. Sarutobi released the boy and sat on a chair by the bed. "Naruto-kun, I am so sorry."

Naruto chuckled, but it was a hollow chuckle, completely without hope for the future. "It's not your fault, Jiji, it's the villagers'. You can't make them see the difference between the demon and its container."

Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know that?"

"I've read books about the Bijū and combined the facts with my date of birth and how the villagers refer to me," Naruto replied. "I'm not stupid as many would think."

Hokage let a small smile grace his lips, although he still felt ashamed about not telling the boy about it. "I'm sorry about not telling you, Naruto-kun."

"It's okay," Naruto said and waved his arm dismissively, only to realize that his arm wasn't there. Tears again threatened to fall, but he held them in. He let out another mirthless chuckle. "I can't take the hat from you anymore, Jiji."

Sarutobi realized what the boy was referring to and smiled. "Don't count that out yet, Naruto-kun," he saw the boy's eyes widen in hope and he continued. "You will travel with my student, Jiraiya, to a small village called Resembool. There you will contact a mechanic who will create a mechanical prosthesis which is almost as good as the real arm. After you get it, Jiraiya will train you before you return to take your graduation exam."

Naruto's eyes widened and his jaw slackened. "Y-you mean, I'm going to be a ninja?" he asked with hope dripping in his every word.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, I will make sure of that," Sarutobi said with a smile before the young boy mustered up all power he had at the moment to grab him in a tight, one-armed hug.

"Thank you," Naruto said between sobs of happiness. "Thank you, Jiji. Thank you so much."

Sarutobi smiled and hugged the boy back. "You don't have to thank me."

"When do we leave?" Naruto asked abruptly, making the old Kage chuckle at his eagerness.

"After you eat and I get you some new clothes, we can meet up with Jiraiya at the gates," Sarutobi said.

"Well then let's eat!" the boy said with a big grin on his face and both he and the old Kage shared a laugh before getting something to eat.

Xxxx

Sarutobi walked toward the gates of the village with Naruto walking right by his side. The old Kage could see the looks on everyone's faces as their gazes fell on the boy. Many had hatred in their eyes and the fact they were pleased that the boy lost his arm was written all over their faces. Sarutobi snarled in anger at the sight. It disgusted him to no end how the people in this village could be so ignorant.

It wasn't only hatred that he saw, though. He also saw some people having the looks of pity and sadness and, in some rare cases, even shame. A small smile graced his lips at the thought of people finally accepting the boy as human and not the beast he contained. He looked at the boy who held his head low and he could see that the boy was afraid. His whole body trembled slightly, fearing that an attack would just come out of nowhere. The old Kage put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, making him calm down.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. We are almost there," the Hokage said and Naruto relaxed a little.

"Thanks, Jiji," Naruto replied and smiled at the old man.

The two arrived at the gate and spotted Jiraiya who was smiling at them. He approached them and extended his arm. "Hey, kid. I'm Jiraiya."

Naruto extended his left and the two shook hands. "I'm Naruto, nice to meet you."

Jiraiya grinned at the boy before nodding to the Hokage. "We better get going, old man."

Sarutobi nodded and hugged the boy one last time. "I will see you later, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah," Naruto said and returned the hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Jiji."

"I'm going to miss you too, Naruto-kun," the Kage said and released the boy. "Train hard, Naruto-kun."

Naruto gave one last grin. "I sure will! See ya!"

With one last wave, Naruto and Jiraiya walked through the gate and left the village.

* * *

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2, guys.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The two have been on the road for three week now and were almost at the base of the mountain. Since Naruto was still a boy, and had only one arm, they had to travel slowly and carefully, while taking several breaks during the travel. During the walk, Jiraiya would tell the boy about his adventures with his ex-teammates and their sensei. Naruto was so engrossed in those stories and he would often imagine himself as a powerful ninja.

They arrived at the base when the sun was already setting. Seeing that it was too late to continue, they decided to make camp for the night. After setting up a tent, Jiraiya went into the forest to catch some food for them. Returning with two rabbits, he skinned them and stuck them by the fire to roast them.

"Hey, Jiraiya-sama, how long until we reach Resembool?" Naruto asked the Sannin.

Jiraiya chuckled at the honorific. "You don't have to call me that, Naruto. Just call me Jiraiya for now or something," the boy nodded. "To answer your question, probably tomorrow after noon."

"And then I will get a new arm?" the boy asked excitedly.

Jiraiya smiled. "Yes, Naruto, you will."

Naruto grinned and jumped in excitement. Jiraiya shook his head at the boy's enthusiasm, but soon after his expression turned serious. Knowing that the boy knew about the Kyūbi, he also knew that he should tell him about his parents. Jiraiya was a bit scared of how the boy would react when he finds out that the man who practically ruined his life was his father. Still, he had the right to know and, being the boy's godfather, Jiraiya was the one to tell him.

"Naruto come here, I have to talk to you," Jiraiya said with a serious tone, which confused the boy. Naruto nodded and sat in front of the Sannin. "Naruto, I think it's time I tell you about your parents."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "Y-you knew my parents?"

"Yes, I did," Jiraiya answered. "But before I tell you about them, you should also know that I am you godfather."

Naruto's widened eyes, narrowed in anger. "If you are my godfather, why didn't you take care of me?" he shouted in anger.

"After the Kyūbi attacked, the village was severely weakened. I had to continuously maintain my spy network to prevent any attack on the village. I thought Sarutobi had everything under control so I left you in the village until you're old enough for me to take you with me," he said and the boy calmed a bit. "I am really sorry that I haven't taken you before and, if you still want, I would like to become a bigger part of your life and make up for the time we lost."

The boy thought for a minute, still slightly angry, but then he nodded. "Fine, I forgive you. I am still angry that I was left alone for all this time, but it was for a good reason."

Jiraiya smiled sadly and nodded thankfully. "Thank you for giving me a chance, Naruto," he said and the boy nodded in response. "Now that that is out of the way, let me tell you about your parents. I will answer your every question, but please don't interrupt me until I'm done."

The boy nodded vigorously. "Yes, please tell me!"

"Your mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina. She was one of the last Uzumakis that survived the invasion of Uzushiogakure. She moved to Konoha while still young and became the second Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi," the boy's eyes widened at that, but he didn't interrupt Jiraiya. "She was one of the most beautiful and powerful kunoichi I have ever met and she was very kind and friendly. She was also very stubborn and hot-headed, just like you," he said with a chuckle and Naruto smiled. "Your father was one of the bravest men I have ever seen. He stood in front of an entire army without fear and led his troops to swift victories. He was honorable and caring, never letting his close ones get hurt. He was… my student, Namikaze Minato and the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha."

Naruto's eyes widened, before narrowing. "My own father sealed the fox inside of me?"

"Yes, Naruto, but you have to understand him," Jiraiya replied somewhat calmly.

"Of please explain to me why my father decided to ruin my life?" Naruto asked angrily.

"He couldn't ask anyone to make a sacrifice he wasn't willing to make," Jiraiya said to the boy.

Naruto, still angry, grabbed one rabbit and walked to his tent. "I'm going to bed. Good night."

Jiraiya sighed as he looked at the boy's retreating form. He asked himself if he maybe told him too soon about it, but then again, he would have to tell him someday and better to tell him sooner. He looked at the sky, thinking about his late student, before grabbing his rabbit.

Xxxx

Naruto woke up early in the morning and frowned when he recollected the events from the night before. Before he went to sleep, he thought about what Jiraiya said and realized that he would probably do the same as the Yondaime. How could he condemn someone else's child if he wasn't ready to condemn his own. In the end, he forgave the Hokage, but it would still take some time to forgive his father.

He walked out of the tent and saw Jiraiya already up and ready. The man smiled at the boy and Naruto returned it. Jiraiya handed the boy a fish he caught in a nearby stream and the two ate in silence. When they were done they stood up and packed up their gear.

"We better get going. It won't take long to climb up the mountain," Jiraiya said, surprising the boy.

"How are we going to climb up the mountain if I have no arm? Why won't we just walk around it?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"We won't climb the mountain literally, but more like walk over it, I'll show you how later. The reason we aren't going around is that it would take few days to walk around it," Jiraiya said and the boy nodded in understanding.

"Fine, I guess. Though I still don't know how we're going to climb up this giant," Naruto said as he looked up at the tall mountain.

Jiraiya chuckled and crouched. "Jump on and you'll see. Make sure to hold on tight," the boy nodded and climbed on the man's back. When he was secured on Jiraiya's back, the man grinned and placed his leg on the mountain. "Up we go."

Naruto's eyes widened and he nearly let go of the man when he started to run on the side of the mountain. He watched in amazement as the man had no trouble running with extra weight on his back. He filed for later to ask the man to teach him that skill.

"Hey Jiraiya?" Naruto asked as the man ran. "Do you think I could use my father's name from now on?"

Jiraiya was surprised at the question. He thought that the boy wouldn't want to have anything to do with his father after the outburst from last night. "Are you sure? Your father had many enemies and I'm sure Iwa would send their men after you."

"I'm sure," the boy replied. "You're here to train me for those situations, after all," he said with a grin.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Damn straight," he said proudly. "I'm sure your father would be very proud, Namikaze Naruto."

Naruto grinned at the man and the two stayed silent for the rest of the climb. Jiraiya climbed for almost an hour when they finally reached the top. As they stood on top of the mountain, they gazed at the village at the bottom.

It was very green, with lots of meadows and houses were far apart from each other. It was a beautiful and peaceful village, in their opinion. Deciding that wasting time is foolish, Jiraiya picked up the boy and started to run down the mountain. It didn't take long for them to reach the green grounds of the village.

As the two walked through the village, they got curious glances. Being that they were closed off the rest of the nations by the mountains, they weren't used to ninjas, so Jiraiya was rather weird to them. They also saw the one-armed boy and they sent him sad looks. Jiraiya looked around and approached one of the villagers.

"Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of the Rockbells?" Jiraiya asked the villager.

The villager, not surprised by the question, pointed to a house in the distance. "Just follow the road that way and you'll reach it no-time."

"Thank you," Jiraiya said with a nod and the two walked toward the house.

While walking, Naruto looked around. He saw the villagers smile and wave at him and it made him happy. Back home, he would always be glared at and the people would toss rocks at him. This change was good and welcome.

They arrived at the house in about half an hour and Jiraiya knocked on the door. At first nobody opened so Jiraiya knocked again.

"I'm coming!" an elderly voice was heard from inside. The door opened and a short old lady appeared. "What can I do for you?" she said as she inspected the two.

"Hello, my name is Jiraiya and this is Naruto. During my travels, I've heard of the Rockbell family creating very good prosthetic limbs," he said and the woman nodded. "Naruto here got in an… accident and, as you can see, he lost his arm."

"So you want me to create one for him?" she asked the man.

"Correct," Jiraiya said and Naruto nodded with a pleading look.

The old lady gave the boy a stern look. "My arms are very expensive, not to mention that the pain is unimaginable. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"I've known pain since I can remember," Naruto said determinedly. "I'm sure I can withstand this as well."

The lady smiled at the boy's determination, before looking at Jiraiya.

The man smiled. "I assure you the money is not an issue," he said.

The lady nodded. "Very well, come on inside," she said and moved aside to let the two in. "And I'm Pinako, by the way."

The two entered and sat down on the couch. Pinako left the room and soon came back along with a fifteen year old blonde girl. The girl approached the two and bowed.

"Hello, my name is Winry and I will be constructing the arm along with my grandmother," she said with a smile.

Jiraiya was surprised that such young girl was also a mechanic, but smiled nonetheless. "Hello Winry-san, I am Jiraiya and this is Naruto," he said and pointed at the boy.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. How are you?" she asked with a smile that made the boy blush.

"I-I'm fine, Winry-chan," he said shyly.

The girl smiled again and took a measuring tape. "That's good to hear. Now I need to take your measurements, so stay still for a bit, ok?"

The boy nodded and let the girl measure his arm. The process wasn't very long and, after writing the measurements on a piece of paper, she finished.

"It will take few days to construct the arm and after the operation, he will need to stay here for a one year long rehabilitation process," Winry said.

Jiraiya was a bit surprised, but nodded. The girl smiled again and left to start working on the arm. Jiraiya took that time to talk to the boy.

"Listen, Naruto," he said, gaining the attention from the boy. "I didn't expect that you would have to stay for a year here, so I will have to leave you after the operation."

Naruto's eyes widened in fear. "Y-you're going to l-leave me?"

Jiraiya was confused about the boy's fear, before he realized what he actually said. He smiled reassuringly. "No that's not what I meant. It's just that I have to check on all of my contacts and it takes time. I was planning on taking you with me, but the rehabilitation process ruined that. I will be back in a year when you're up and running, I promise."

The boy visibly relaxed and his fear disappeared. He nodded at the man. "Thank you."

Jiraiya smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Don't worry about it. Now let's get something to eat."

Naruto jumped of the couch with a grin and followed the man to get some food.

Xxxx

Five days have passed and Naruto was lying on the operating table. Pinako and Winry stood by the bed, making sure everything is prepared for the operation. The reason why the process is so painful is because they first had to cut off any unnecessary tissue and later connect all the nerves to the arm. The arm, officially called Auto-mail, was made from the strongest metals and very few things could actually break it.

Jiraiya stood outside the door, letting the two women concentrate on the operation. He wanted to be inside to give support to his godson, but Pinako told him that for the process they need utmost concentration and that any other distraction could be fatal. So Jiraiya decided to stay outside, silently praying that everything goes well.

"Ready, Naruto-kun?" Winry asked?

"Let's get to it," Naruto said determinately.

Pinako inserted a needle in his arm. "This is a sedative that will keep the most pain away. You will still feel a lot of pain and the chances for you to wake up are great."

Naruto nodded and his eyes slowly closed. The moment he fell asleep, the operation started.

Xxxx

Hours later, Naruto was sleeping in his room. The operation was successful and the post-op rest was very much needed for the boy. Pinako and Winry rested after the operation, drinking tea with Jiraiya.

"Pinako-san, Winry-san, I can't thank you enough for this," Jiraiya said as he took a sip of his tea.

Pinako smiled and waved her hand. "It was nothing. We are happy that the boy will be able to fulfill his dreams," she said and Winry confirmed it with a smile.

"Anyway," Jiraiya started. "I have to go and meet the contacts in my spy network. I was planning on taking Naruto with me, but seeing that he has to rest for a year, could it be possible for him to stay with you?"

"Of course, he is more than welcome to stay," Pinako answered.

Jiraiya smiled. "Thank you. I will wait for him to wake up before I go."

Pinako nodded and the three continued to drink their tea. Winry then went to check up on Naruto and saw that he was awake. She called the other two and they all stood by the bed.

"How are you feeling, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto grunted. "It hurts like hell."

"It will hurt for awhile," Pinako said. "Can you move it?"

Naruto looked at his arm and tried to move it. He felt his shoulder ache, but determination got the best of him and soon he had his arm in the air. A pained, but happy grin appeared on his face and he started crying in happiness. With this arm, he would be able to become a ninja.

"Thank you, thank you so much," Naruto said to the two mechanics.

"It was nothing, Naruto-kun," Winry said happily. She was always happy when the smile reappeared on the face of the new auto-mail user.

"Naruto," Jiraiya said and the boy turned to look at him. "I have to leave now. You will stay here with Pinako-san and I'll see you in a year, okay?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, see ya in a year."

Jiraiya gave the boy one last smile, before he walked out of the room. Naruto lowered his arm and felt his eyes closing slowly.

"Rest for now, Naruto-kun," Winry said and the boy nooded.

Soon he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Xxxx

Few days have passed and Naruto was in his room. His new arm was working perfectly and, even though he still couldn't move it like his left one, it was more than enough for every day work. Pinako said that in a few weeks he would be able to move it perfectly.

At the moment, he was going through the books that were on the shelf in the room. The books the shelf contained were mostly novels or about mechanics, but one book caught his interest. By the looks of it, the book was very old. Pages were yellowish from the age and, if he had to guess, he would say that it was more than a hundred years old.

"Alchemy for beginners," he muttered the name of the book. He opened the first page and started reading.

_"In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed."_

_Alchemy is__ the ancient mystical art of manipulating and altering matter by using natural energy. This act is known as "Transmutation" and its sequence is usually described as: _

_Comprehension - Understanding the inherent structure and properties of the atomic or molecular makeup of a particular material to be transmuted, including the flow and balance of potential and kinetic energy within. _

_Deconstruction - Using energy to break down the physical structure of the identified material into a more malleable state so as to be easily reshaped into a new form. _

_Reconstruction - Continuing the flow of energy so as to reform the material into a new shape. _

Hours have passed and Naruto's eyes didn't leave the book even for a minute. He was so engrossed in the yellowish pages that he didn't notice the night has already fallen. He was memorizing the elements and the circles he saw with ease and practiced drawing them on paper. He would probably read until morning, but sleep got the best of him and he fell asleep on the floor.

Xxxx

It was a week later that Naruto attempted his first transmutation. Drawing a circle on the floor, he tried to transmute a little bird. Channeling some energy, the circle glowed blue and a crackling sound was heard. Few seconds later, a bird made of wood appeared in the middle of the circle. Naruto grinned and jumped around in happiness.

The noise from the room wasn't missed by the other two tenants and soon the door of Naruto's room opened, revealing worried faces of Pinako and Winry.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Pinako asked.

"I did it!" Naruto shouted as he stopped jumping. "I just completed my first transmutation!"

Pinako looked confused for a moment, but then spotted the transmutation circle on the floor. Her eyes widened when she saw the bird in the middle. "Where did you learn that?"

Naruto grinned and showed her the book. "From this book I found on the shelf."

Pinako looked at the book and chuckled inwardly. 'Heh I guess there's another alchemist in the rise. I will have to introduce him to Izumi-chan,' she smiled at the boy and ruffled his hair. "Congratulations, Naruto. I haven't seen someone use alchemy for years now."

Naruto beamed at the praise. "Thanks, Pinako-baachan."

She smiled at the name. "It's nothing. Now come on, it's time for lunch and after that, I will check on your auto-mail."

The boy grinned and ran to the kitchen. The lunch came and went and Naruto was sitting while Pinako was examining his arm.

"Raise," she said and Naruto raised his arm without trouble. "Now clench your fist," he did. "Now stretch your fingers," he stretched them and Pinako nodded. "Good, your arm is working well. Now come with me. I want you to meet someone," she said and started walking toward the front door. "Oh and take that book with you.

Naruto nodded and, after grabbing the book, followed Pinako out of the house. The two walked through the peaceful village in silence. Naruto would smile and wave to anybody they would meet on the road and he would receive the same in return. It warmed his heart to have people's acceptance.

The two walked for a while and ended up in front of a small house. Pinako nodded and they waited for an answer. Few seconds later, a big muscular man opened the door. He looked down at the newcomers and smiled when he spotted Pinako.

"Ah Pinako-san. What brings you here?" he asked the old lady.

"Hello Sig," she said with a smile. "I'm here to introduce someone to Izumi-chan and return something she forgotten at my place."

The man then looked at Naruto and offered his hand. "Hello, boy. I'm Sig."

"Hello, Sig-san. I'm Naruto," Naruto saidand took the man's arm.

The man chuckled. "Just call me Sig. Come in and I'll go get Izumi."

The two entered and sat on the couch while Sig went to find his wife. Few minutes later, he returned with a woman wearing a white dress. The woman smiled and went to hug Pinako.

"Hey Kaa-san, what are you doing here?" Izumi asked her mother.

"Hello, Izumi-chan," Pinako smiled and the two released. "I came to drop something off."

Izumi looked confused. "And what would that be?"

"This book," she said and tossed her the book, making her eyes go wide. "And your new apprentice."

This made both Naruto and Izumi go wide-eyed. Izumi looked at the boy in disbelief, while Naruto in hope. If this woman knew alchemy, she could teach him better than a hundred year old book. His hopes were crushed when the woman shook her head.

"I'm not taking an apprentice, Kaa-san. Besides, what could he learn from the book to make me want to teach him?" Izumi asked.

"He made a perfect transmutation in a week! I don't remember you being so good for the first time," Pinako replied with a smirk.

Izumi's eyes widened slightly before she looked at Naruto. She gave him an evaluating look. "What's your dream, kid?"

Naruto gave her a look of pure determination, which startled her a bit. "To be the strongest ninja in the world so I can protect people I care for."

Determination in his eyes nearly broke her resolve on the spot. "Why do you even want to learn alchemy if you have ninja skills?"

Naruto's eyes saddened a little as he pulled his right sleeve up, revealing his auto-mail to the world. "Since I've lost my arm, it's going to be much harder for me to learn ninja skills," he said and his gaze became determined again. "But I'm going to try harder and harder until I succeed. Alchemy is an interesting art and i0ve spent hours reading that book. I will use it to protect and help those around me."

Izumi's eyes saddened when she looked at Naruto's auto-mail. No one should lose an arm at such young age. She looked in his determined eyes and sighed. "I guess I'm just a sucker for those eyes. Fine, kid, you've got yourself a teacher."

Naruto grinned and bowed. "Thank you, Izumi-sensei."

'Izumi-sensei, huh?' Izumi thought. Then she smirked and a slightly dangerous glint appeared in her eyes. "Well, kid, you better get some goodnight sleep because from tomorrow, training begins."

Naruto gulped and shuddered. Just for what kind of hell he just assigned for.

* * *

**And that's it for now.  
**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

**Here's another chapter of my story. Enjoy!**

* * *

A year have passed in a flash for Naruto. Under Izumi's tutelage, Naruto has blossomed as an alchemist and, with time, he will even surpass his sensei. Training wasn't all that great and Naruto remembered the beginning with quite disdain. Staying alone on a deserted island for a month, wasn't his idea of training. Still, he passed the initial test and more intensive training on alchemy has begun.

Izumi was quite amazed at Naruto's progress. He would pick up everything she tossed at him and he only grew in knowledge and skill. Her amazement reached the roof when he learned how to transmute without transmutation circles in record time. Naruto would pull out spears out of the ground in seconds.

She also taught him some basic taijutsu which he picked up fast as well.

Naruto didn't only grow in alchemy, but in growth as well. Having a well balanced diet, he grew taller than most other nine year olds and, after many physical exercises, his body was quite muscular.

At the moment, Naruto was resting after an intense taijutsu spar with his sensei. He was lying under the shade of a tree, listening to the sounds of nature. He knew that Jiraiya would be back soon and, although he didn't really want to leave Resembool, he knew that the time to leave would come eventually. He stood up and went inside for lunch, when somebody jumped in front of him. Startled, he fell on the ground and looked up at the smiling face of Jiraiya.

"Hey, Naruto, long time no see," Jiraiya said while grinning.

Naruto stood up and punched him in the gut with his auto-mail. Jiraiya doubled over and his breath left him. "Don't scare me like that, old man!"

Jiraiya straightened up and huffed. "That's a mean right hook, kid. You could seriously hurt someone with it."

Naruto grinned. "One of the good things about auto-mail."

"So," Jiraiya started. "What have you been up to for the last year?"

"Learning alchemy under Izumi-sensei," Naruto replied.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Alchemy? And who is Izumi-sensei?"

"That would be me," a new voice spoke from behind them.

The two turned around and saw Izumi standing on the porch, with her hands on her hips. Upon seeing her, Jiraiya's smile turned into a slightly perverted grin. He walked up to Izumi and took one of her hands into his, giving it a gentle kiss. Naruto smirked at the scene, since he knew what would happen to the man.

"Hello, my fair maiden. I am Ji-" he was cut off by a fist smashed in his face that sent him flying into a tree. Naruto burst out laughing as a branch broke of the tree and hit Jiraiya on the top of his head.

"W-why?" Jiraiya asked weakly, river of tears flowing down his face.

"As a legendary ninja, you should've noticed already," Izumi said and raised her hand, showing a gold wedding ring.

Jiraiya focused on the ring, before jumping up like nothing happened. "Ah I must've been blinded by your beauty so I missed it," he said with a sly grin.

Izumi snorted. "Anyway, what can I do for you, Jiraiya-san?"

"I'm here to pick up the kid for our training trip. We are leaving tomorrow morning, which gives him enough time to say goodbyes and I'm curious about what the kid has learned during the year," Jiraiya said.

"Well you can stay for lunch if you want," Izumi said. "We can talk while we eat."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Jiraiya said with a slight bow.

The three then walked inside and saw Sig setting up the table. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and saw Izumi and Naruto, along with a person he never saw before.

"Izumi-chan, Naruto, the lunch is ready," he said and looked at the newcomer. "I don't think we've met."

Jiraiya approached the man and extended his arm. "I am Jiraiya of the Sannin and Naruto's godfather."

Sig's eyes widened slightly as he took the offered arm. "Sig Curtis, it's a pleasure to meet you, Jiraiya-sama. I've heard stories about you, but never thought I would meet you in person."

Jiraiya grinned slightly. "You must've heard of my book as well."

Sig shook his head. "I'm afraid I haven't."

Jiraiya's face fell, but he brightened up the next moment. "Then I will leave you a copy before we leave."

Sig nodded. "I would appreciate it."

"What book?" Naruto asked Jiraiya.

Jiraiya ruffled his hair. "I'll show you when you're older," he said as they all sat and began to eat. "So, what is this alchemy Naruto said he was learning?"

"Well," Izumi started. "Alchemy is an ancient art in which you can manipulate and alter any matter in a process called transmutation. You can control some elements, fix things or even use it during the battle. As far as I know, Naruto and I are only alchemists in the world."

Jiraiya looked in amazement as Izumi explained alchemy to him. The art in basic sounded amazing, ability to fix anything with a single touch, pulling weapons out of the ground… if Konoha got a hold of alchemic knowledge, they could rise as the strongest hidden village in the Elemental Nations and stay on top for ages.

"Izumi-san, would you consider moving to Konoha and teaching alchemy to our ninja?" Jiraiya asked, full of hope.

Izumi shot him a look of pure disgust. "Not a chance in hell!" she shouted as she abruptly stood up. "I'm not teaching any ninja alchemy."

Jiraiya frowned. "You've taught Naruto," he retorted.

"Naruto is special. He is pure-hearted and kind and he would never abuse alchemy to wage wars. If I taught alchemy in your village, who's to say that they won't suddenly turn around and use it to attack Naruto like before?" she asked heatedly, making Jiraiya flinch.

"I… I'm sorry," Jiraiya said and bowed his head. "I have let the betterment of the village cloud my judgment as the godfather. Naruto, Izumi-san, please forgive me," Jiraiya pleaded with a lowered head.

"It's alright, Jiraiya," Naruto said and patted him, rather roughly, on his back with his auto-mail.

Izumi calmed down, but still looked at Jiraiya with some anger in her eyes. "I will forgive you, but I don't want to hear that Naruto is being forced to teach alchemy to others. This art will stay in his clan from now on."

Naruto looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

Izumi smiled sadly at him. "Yes, Naruto. Because of my… condition, I can't have children. You will be the one who will pass on the alchemic knowledge. Just don't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"I promise, Izumi-sensei!" Naruto said determinately.

She smiled again. "Well then, let's finish eating and then you can get your arm checked by Kaa-san before you go tomorrow."

Naruto nodded and they continued to eat.

Xxxx

Morning came too soon for Naruto and now he was standing outside with the rest of the people that took care for him for the past year.

"I'm going to miss you, guys," Naruto said, holding back tears.

Winry came up to him and pulled him into a hug. "Don't worry, we will see each other again. After all, I will have to modify your arm when you grow again."

"Thank you for everything, Winry-neechan," Naruto said and wiped a tear away.

"Well, kid, it was fun having you around," Pinako said and ruffled his hair.

"It was fun to be here, Pinako-baachan," Naruto said with a grin.

"Naruto, I have something for you," Izumi said as she approached him and gave him a package. "It will probably be too big for you now, but it will surely fit you later."

Naruto slowly opened the package and gasped. Inside was a red, long-sleeved, hooded coat with a black Flamel on the back. He held the coat close and bowed. "Thank you, Izumi-sensei."

The woman grinned. "Be sure to visit when you're in the neighborhood."

"I sure will!" Naruto replied with a grin of his own.

"We better get going," Jiraiya said. "We have a long journey ahead of us."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, well guys, see ya later," he said and waved to them one last time.

The two started walking away, followed by waves if the others.

Xxxx

Two weeks have passed since Naruto and Jiraiya left Resembool. They were traveling through the Fire Country and Naruto was getting quite bored. As they sat on a clearing, Naruto finally snapped.

"When are you going to start training me?" Naruto asked heatedly.

Jiraiya smirked. "Actually, I was thinking of a good way to start your training. Since you can't mold chakra with your auto-mail, you can't train like regular people."

"So what do you suggest?" Naruto asked as he sat across the man.

"First, I will teach you this technique," Jiraiya said as he stood up. He put his hands in a cross seal. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" **Jiraiya said and a perfect copy of him appeared on his right. Jiraiya grinned at the amazed expression on his student's face and decided to elaborate. "This technique allows you to split your chakra and create a solid clone that can help you immensely during your training."

Naruto gave him a confused look. "How will a clone help me train?"

"Because everything a shadow clone learns, transfers to the original, meaning that your clones can learn techniques or taijutsu katas and, when they dispel, everything they learned will transfer to you," Jiraiya said.

"But how will I be able to learn it if I can't use the normal hand seal?" Naruto asked, slightly annoyed by that fact.

"That's why I will teach you one-handed seals," Jiraiya said. Seeing Naruto's confused look, he elaborated. "One-handed seals are, obviously, seals you use to mold chakra with one hand. Each normal seal is created by two one-handed seals, meaning that there are twenty four one-handed seals for the twelve normal ones. For the shadow clones is a bit different, since the seal for shadow clones is not one of the twelve regular ones. For the shadow clones, you will have to do these two," he said and held his left hand in the air. The first seal was created by crooking the pointer, while the other fingers stood straight. The second seal was normal half ram seal. Another clone appeared next to Jiraiya. "After you master the technique, you will be able to call upon it without the usage of seals," Naruto nodded. "Now you try."

Naruto practiced the seals before channeling some chakra into them. He looked around, hoping to see his clone, but nothing appeared. His face fell, but Jiraiya reassured him with a hand on his shoulder.

"It doesn't matter if you don't get in on the first try. If you try hard enough, you will succeed eventually," he said reassuringly.

Naruto smiled at the Sannin. "Thanks, Jiraiya-sensei."

Naruto practiced for the next couple of hours and still couldn't make a clone. He was getting frustrated with each minute that has passed, but he still wouldn't give up. Suddenly, after lot of failed attempts, a clone appeared by his side. The two Narutos looked at each other and their faces split into equal grins.

"I did it!" both of them shouted before falling on their back. The clone disappeared, while the original was lying unconscious.

Jiraiya picked up a sleeping Naruto and brought him to the camp he had set up. He put him in his sleeping bag and grinned at him. "Learning such difficult technique in just a few hours? And you're only nine year old boy with only one real arm. You will be a legend and you don't even know it," he said quietly before jumping on a tree branch to keep guard for the night.

Xxxx

"Make as many shadow clones as you can," Jiraiya said as they stood on the clearing next morning.

Naruto nodded and completed the seal sequence. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" **he said and hundred clones appeared around him.

Jiraiya was wide-eyed at the sheer amount of clones Naruto summoned, but quickly composed himself. "Today, I will teach you the tree walking exercise," he said before going to a tree. He placed one foot on the tree trunk, which was followed by the second and, suddenly, he was walking on the tree like it was nothing special. All Narutos watched him with amazement. "The trick of this exercise is to channel your chakra to your feet and stick yourself to the tree. You have to make sure you use the right amount of chakra. If you use too much, you will be blown of the tree and if you use to little, you won't stick to it," he said and jumped off the tree. "Now your clones will practice tree walking for the rest of the day while the original will go through physical exercises with me."

The clones all nodded and each of them chose a tree to walk on. Original Naruto walked up to Jiraiya with a slightly confused look on his face. "Hey, Jiraiya-sensei? What's the purpose of this exercise?"

"It will greatly improve your chakra control. After you master it, I will also teach you water walking and some more advanced chakra control exercises and, only after you master all of them, I will start teaching you some more advanced techniques," Jiraiya said, making Naruto nod.

"Also, why can't shadow clones do physical exercises as well?" Naruto asked again.

"Because clones can only transfer you their mental knowledge, not physical. You can send your clone to work out all day long and, when you dispel it, only thing he would transfer to you is their mental exhaustion," Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded in understanding. "So, what am I going to do then?"

"You will run fifty laps around this clearing which you will follow up with fifty push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. After that we will have a spar to see how good in taijutsu you are after training with Izumi-san," Jiraiya said with a smirk, seeing Naruto's paled face.

Naruto grumbled and started running, muttering about white-haired slave drivers.

Xxxx

Three months have passed since the day Naruto discovered Jiraiya's more sadistic side. Naruto was somewhat glad that he was back in the Fire Country after spending two weeks in the harsh deserts of Wind Country. Jiraiya left him there with no food and water and told him to survive on his own. Other than scorching heat and irritating sand, it greatly reminded him of Izumi's training method.

Now they were at the clearing again, ready to continue Naruto's training. After three months of constant workout, Naruto mastered each chakra control exercise Jiraiya taught him.

"Naruto make three hundred shadow clones," Jiraiya said and, a second later, three hundred clones appeared. "Alright, a hundred of you will go and do chakra control exercises. Your chakra capacity is growing with each day, so you have to train to control it. A hundred of you will go and practice your taijutsu katas, while the last hundred will practice a transformation technique. The original will do physical exercises as usual," Jiraiya said and each group went with their business.

Hours passed like minutes and, at the end of the day, each clone was tired. Jiraiya shouted and gained the attention of each clone.

"Alright, I want you guys to dispel one by one with five seconds interval, understood?" Jiraiya said seriously. One time when Naruto dispelled all clones at once, he suffered from a terrible headache for several hours. The clones nodded and, after some time, they all dispelled. "Alright, transform into me," Jiraiya said to the original.

Naruto nodded. **"Henge no Jutsu!" **he said and smoke enveloped him. When the smoke cleared, Jiraiya looked at the perfect copy of himself. "How is it?" Naruto asked with Jiraiya's deep voice.

"It's great, you've mastered it," Jiraiya praised, making Naruto grin widely. Jiraiya shuddered when he saw that grin on his face. "Now I'm going to teach you another technique so drop the transformation," he said.

Naruto nodded and dispelled the technique. He looked at Jiraiya expectantly, making the man grin. Jiraiya the disappeared in smoke and, in his place, a log appeared. Naruto grinned, already seeing the usefulness of this technique.

"This technique is called **Kawarimi no Jutsu," **Jiraiya said as he walked out of the forest. "What it does is replacing you with a nearby object. It's useful to use it when you can't dodge the attack. At the beginning you will have to use seals, but after you master it, you will be able to do it without seals. Now look at these seals and try," Jiraiya said and, after showing him the seal sequence, Naruto nodded.

"**Kawarimi no Jutsu!" **Naruto said and focused on the log Jiraiya used in his substitution. He was enveloped in smoke and, when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was standing on the same spot the log was. He grinned widely, and jumped in excitement.

"Succeeding on your first try is great, Naruto," Jiraiya said with a hint of praise. "Now let's go and make camp. It's getting dark and you need to rest."

Naruto nodded and the two set camp for the night. Just before falling asleep, Naruto decided to ask Jiraiya one more question. "Hey, Jiraiya-sensei? Do you think I can surpass my father?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, but then smiled. "Naruto, I think that you are the only person that could even dream of surpassing him," he said with pride in his voice.

"Thanks, Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto said and closed his eyes. Few minutes later, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

**And that's it for now.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys!**

**Here's another chapter, the longest yet.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Four more years have passed they were finally returning back to Konoha. They were traveling from Resembool, where Naruto got his arm upgraded. They finally reached the main road that led to Konoha and it should only take them few short hours to reach the village.

Naruto has changed a lot in the last four years. He grew taller and more muscular. His hair was no longer short and spiky. Due to an incident while practicing his alchemy, his hair was now straight, with two bangs framing his face. It also grew longer so he tied it in a braid.

His clothing consisted of black ninja pants and sandals, a black sleeveless shirt over which he wore his red cloak. He was also wearing pair of black gloves.

They were walking down the road in comfortable silence, slightly relaxed. Naruto was looking around, seeing some familiar sights he hasn't seen in five years since he was away. Jiraiya was merely looking ahead, but every now and then, he would look at his student with pride.

Naruto has grown in his skills tremendously. His taijutsu was almost on par with Jiraya and he could probably win against most jōnin because of his incredible stamina. His ninjutsu was mostly composed of wind techniques, along with some non-elemental ones Jiraiya taught him. He had mastered wind manipulation in a mere month, with hundreds of clones cutting through leaves, rocks and waterfalls.

He was also learning fūinjutsu from Jiraiya and, even though he was nowhere near his master's level, he was very proficient in it. Creating sealing scrolls or paper bombs was something that came naturally to him. He even created several of his own useful seals.

After few hours of walking, the gates of Konoha appeared on the horizon. Jiraiya smiled at the sight of his old home. He looked at his student and saw that he was looking at them with slight apprehension, but overall he seemed happy to be back.

"Happy to be back?" Jiraiya asked him, startling him from his musings.

Naruto looked at the man. "Kinda, I can finally see Jiji and some other people again. I just hope the villagers will give me less shit from now on."

"Well, it's your job to change their minds. Just be sure to go easy on them if they cross the line," Jiraiya said with a smirk. He knew better than to piss Naruto off, unless you wanted to end up with broken limbs and concussion.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try," Naruto replied with a smirk of his own. "Don't want to have ANBU down my neck for hurting civilians."

Jiraiya chuckled and shook his head. Soon they were standing in front of the chūnin guard house, the last stop before entering the village. The two chūnin that were stationed there looked up and their eyes widened at the sight of Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama, welcome back to the village," Izumo said to the man.

Jiraiya chuckled. "It's good to be back."

"From what we've heard, you haven't been here for the last five years," Kotetsu added.

"Yeah, I've been training my apprentice here for a while," he replied.

The two chūnin looked at the blond and soon their eyes widened. Before Naruto could even talk, they appeared in front of him and started to examine him.

"Could it be?" Izumo asked with a hopeful voice.

"It has to be," Kotetsu said with the same voice.

"The blue eyes are here," Izumo said.

"And the whiskers as well," Kotetsu added.

"The hair is different though," Izumo said.

"But there's no mistake," Kotetsu whispered.

"Uzumaki Naruto, it is you, it is you!" they both shouted happily and bear hugged him.

Naruto gasped for air as the two chūnin cried comical tears. They suddenly released him and he took a step back, gasping for air.

"Kami… you guys… could kill me!" Naruto shouted between breaths.

The two chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, Naruto." Izumo said.

"Yeah, we're just happy to see you again," Kotetsu added.

Their faces then turned serious. "We heard you were attacked and lost an arm before you left," Izumo said. Their gazes traveled to Naruto's right arm. They gave him a questioning look and he chuckled.

"Yeah, well I guess you guys will be the first in Konoha to see this," he said and raised the sleeve of his coat, revealing his auto-mail. The two got wide-eyed at the sight.

"W-what's that?" Izumo asked in amazement.

"This," Naruto started. "Is auto-mail. A robotic arm made of the finest metals known to man," he said proudly.

"Is it something like a puppet arm?" Kotetsu asked in awe.

"Something like that, only much more durable and, due to it being connected with nerves and not chakra, it gives you better movements than that wooden crap," Naruto answered while lowering his sleeve.

"That's amazing!" Izumo gasped. "Why don't more ninja use them?"

Naruto chuckled. "Well it's expensive as hell and installment hurts like a bitch," he said.

"So it's just like a real arm?" Kotetsu asked.

"More or less," Naruto said. "Only it doesn't have the chakra network so I had to learn those stupid one-handed seals to complete techniques."

The two chūnin nodded. They were about to ask more questions, but Jiraiya cut in. "As much as I'd love to let you guys catch up, Naruto and I have to see the Hokage."

"Oh yeah," Naruto said. "Well guys, I'll see you later!"

"Yeah, see you later, Naruto," Izumo said with a wave.

"It's good to have you back," Kotetsu added with a smile.

Naruto grinned at them. "It's good to be back."

Naruto and Jiraiya turned around and started walking toward the Hokage Tower.

"So," Jiraiya started. "How do you know those two?"

Naruto was looking around as he replied. "They loved my pranks and would usually hide me from the ANBU or the villagers."

"Oh yeah," Jiraiya said with a faraway look. "I've heard something about the blond prankster who ruined peaceful lives of people."

They looked at each other and laughed. That got them several strange looks from the people. Some recognized Jiraiya and bowed, which he ignored. They didn't recognize Naruto though, as his hairstyle was changed and the bangs somewhat covered the whiskers. Naruto suddenly stopped dead in his track and his eyes lidded when the smell hit his nostrils. Suddenly he turned right and entered a building.

Jiraiya sighed when he saw the look in the boy's eyes. When he looked at the sign above the entrance, his suspicion was confirmed. During their travels, Naruto somehow became addicted to dango and sake and whenever they passed a dango shop, they would always stay for a meal. Knowing that there was no way to tear the boy from his food, he walked toward the entrance.

Naruto rushed inside the shop and sat at the first empty table. It was only a second later that the waitress appeared to take his order.

"What can I get you?" she asked kindly.

Naruto smiled when he saw her, which made her blush. "Plate of dango and sake!" he said.

"Coming right up!" she said with a wink, before turning around and heading to the kitchen.

While waiting for his order to arrive, Naruto looked around. There were some civilians behind him and in the corner in front of him, he saw several Konoha jōnin. He spotted one with a mask and another one in a hideous green jumpsuit, before his view was blocked by Jiraiya.

"Did you have to eat right now?" Jiraiya asked in annoyance.

Naruto grinned as he saw the waitress returning with his order. "Of course I did!" he smiled at the waitress as she placed the tray and the bottle on the table. "Thanks."

"Anytime," she said and winked at him again.

Jiraiya watched the exchange with jealousy. This kind of situation happened regularly for the past year. He looked at Naruto who was now eating his dango and taking a gulp from the bottle every now and then.

"This is amazing," Naruto muttered as he ate.

Jiraiya sighed. "Last I remember you were addicted to ramen, not dango."

"Don't get me wrong, I still love ramen," Naruto said and ate another dumpling. "But there is just something that's pulling me to dango every time I smell it."

Jiraiya was about to speak, when he was interrupted by one of the drunken civilians from behind Naruto.

"Hey, guys," he said with a slightly drunken voice. "Have I ever told you about how I cut off demon's arm?"

The moment he said that, his friends cheered him on to keep going. The jōnin in the back narrowed their eyes and prepared to take the man in custody, but a large amount of killing intent stopped everyone in their tracks. Even Jiraiya slightly cowered from it.

They all looked toward Naruto, who was emitting it and watched as he slowly stood up. Jiraiya wanted to tell him to stop, but he knew that he couldn't do anything at the moment and, to be honest, he didn't really want to.

Naruto turned around and faced the drunken men, who sobered up quickly when the intent was released, and spotted the one who spoke. His eyes narrowed the moment he saw him and his mouth curved into an angry snarl.

**Flashback**

_Eight year old Naruto ran from the mob of angry and drunken villagers. It was his birthday and he didn't want to get all beaten up like last year. He took a turn and ran into an empty street. He could hear the villagers shout from the distance. _

_Suddenly, the door on his right opened and a man walked out. Naruto stood frozen in fear the moment he saw him. The boy knew that he couldn't escape him. The man suddenly smiled and waved him over._

"_Come on, you can hide in here," he said with a sincere voice._

_Naruto didn't know if he should listen or not. It could be just another trick to hurt him. He realized his choices were narrow. It was either go inside or get pummeled by the mob. In the end, he threw caution to the wind and rushed inside, not noticing the evil glint in his eyes._

_The moment he heard the door close, Naruto turned around to thank the man, only to meet a fist in the face. The blow was so strong it knocked him out immediately._

_Naruto opened his eyes and found himself in a dark room. He tried to move his arms, but they were chained, rendering them useless. He was about to shout when the door opened and that same man entered. The man turned on the light and Naruto closed his eyes to shield them from the blinding light._

"_Hello, demon," the man spoke with hate and disgust in his voice._

_Now Naruto could see his face clearly and he shuddered when he saw his eyes filled with hatred._

"_W-what do y-you want from me?" Naruto stuttered out in fear._

_The man chuckled darkly. "I want to hurt you, crush your dreams, make you sorry."_

"_S-sory for what?" Naruto asked. "W-what have I ever done to y-you?"_

"_You killed my son!" the man shouted, making Naruto cringe in fear. "You ripped him apart without remorse!"_

"_I didn't!" Naruto shouted back. "I didn't kill anyone!"_

_The man growled dangerously and punched the boy in the face. "Shut up, demon."_

_Naruto spit out some blood and looked at the man again. He now realized that this might be the last moment of his life. His eyes narrowed and, deciding to go without fear, he spat in the man's face. The man glared at the boy, before chuckling again._

"_I'm not going to kill you, demon," he said darkly as he wiped the spit and blood of his face. "I will just crush your biggest dream. After all, you can't be a Hokage without an arm."_

_Before Naruto could say anything, the man pulled out an axe and swung at the boy. Naruto watched in slow-motion as the axe descended on his right arm. He closed his eyes, willing himself not to scream, and waited for the strike to come. _

_He didn't have to wait long until he felt sharp pain in his right arm. His mouth opened in a silent scream and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He passed out immediately._

**Flashback end**

"I remember you," Naruto said with a dark voice filled with venom.

The man in question began to cower in fear. He looked into those cold, blue eyes and instantly remembered the boy he dismembered five years ago. When he noticed his right arm, his eyes widened and he started to scream.

"You demon! You used your demonic powers to get your arm back!" he screamed as Naruto approached him.

Naruto didn't respond to the man cries and continued to walk toward him, until he stood right in front of him. Naruto grabbed the man by his neck with his left hand and raised him in the air.

"L-let m-me g-go," the man managed to choke out.

Naruto raised his right arm and bit on the glove. He pulled it off, before pocketing it. He raised his metal fist and showed it to the man.

"Do you see what you've left me with?" Naruto asked quietly. "Do you see what you did to me, you filthy bastard!" he shouted before rearing his arm back and punching the man hard in the gut.

A jōnin moved it to stop him, but Jiraiya stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Let him be, Kakashi," he said loud enough for the other jōnin to hear.

"J-Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi asked with wide eyes.

"I will stop him before it escalates," Jiraiya said before looking at Naruto again.

Naruto reared his fist again and punched the man, only this time in the jaw. The strength of the blow crushed the man's jaw and rendered him unconscious. Naruto growled and raised his fist again, but Jiraiya caught it before it landed.

"Stop, Naruto. He had enough," Jiraiya said calmly.

Naruto growled at Jiraiya. "I will rip his arm out," he said trying to move his arm, but Jiraiya held it in place.

"Naruto, give him to the jōnin over there and they will arrest him. If you hurt him more, you might get in trouble," Jiraiya said calmly, still not letting go of Naruto's arm.

Naruto grunted angrily before tossing the man into the wall, which cracked slightly. Jiraiya released Naruto's arm and the boy walked over to the table he was sitting before. He dropped some money on it and left.

Jiraiya sighed. "Kakashi, take the man to the hospital and put some ANBU around him. When he wakes up, his punishment will be decided."

Kakashi nodded and went over to the man, before picking him up and leaving. Jiraiya didn't spare anyone a glance as he left as well, leaving some scared civilians.

Xxxx

Naruto walked through the village with an angry aura surrounding him. He couldn't believe what just happened. He was angry at Jiraiya for not letting him finish what he started, but at the same time he was grateful. Jiraiya was right when he said that he could get in much more trouble if he finished the man of. He was probably in some deep shit already, since he did hurt the man pretty well.

He shook his head clear and looked up. In front of him was a giant forest, surrounded by a tall fence. Not having anything to do and still to stressed to see the Hokage, he jumped over the fence and set out into the forest. When he reached a good enough distance, he jumped on a branch and leaned back.

Birds were chirping around him and every now and then a wild animal would roar. He found it peaceful and relaxing. Naruto loved the nature and he would often relax in a forest after an excessive training. Closing his eyes, he slowly drifted off to a state of meditation. He relaxed his mind, while still aware of his surroundings.

Few hours have passed and sun was showing it was early afternoon. Naruto felt relaxed and his anger vanished so he decided to visit the Hokage. It was five years ago when he last saw him and he missed the man very much. Jumping off the branch, he ran toward the edge of the forest, before jumping over the fence and setting out toward the Hokage Tower.

Arriving at the Tower few minutes later, he walked up the stairs and saw the secretary in front of Hokage's office. He walked up to her and smiled.

"Hello sir, can I help you?" she asked and blushed when she saw him smile at her.

"I'm here to see the Hokage," Naruto said. "Don't worry about announcing me, he's expecting me."

The secretary nodded and Naruto walked toward the office door. Grinning widely, he raised his leg and kicked the door open.

"Yo Jiji! Long time no see!" he shouted the moment he entered the office.

Whole office fell silent and Naruto finally noticed the others inside. He saw Hokage's advisors, Homura and Koharu standing behind the Hokage himself, along with Danzō clan heads of Konoha's most prominent clans in front of the desk. He could also swear that he heard Jiraiya snicker from the shadows.

Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Maybe I should've knocked."

Inuzuka Tsume barked with laughter while the famous trio along with Sarutobi chuckled. Shibi and Hiashi seemed serious, although a slight twitch here and there revealed their amusement. The advisors and Danzō were not amused though and they frowned at the boy.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, you seem as energetic as usual," Sarutobi said between chuckles.

Naruto grinned. "You seem just as old as before, Jiji," he said and another round of chuckles followed. "Still having troubles with paperwork?"

Sarutobi sighed. "As usual, Naruto-kun, as usual."

Naruto chuckled and opened his mouth to speak, when he was interrupted.

"This is Konoha's Jinchūriki Uzumaki Naruto? Last time I saw him, he was crippled," Danzō said coldly.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tongue, old man, or you might just lose it," he said with slight anger.

Everyone's eyes widened and Danzō even took a slight step back. They just saw Naruto insult one of the highest ranking people in the village. Danzō quickly recovered and narrowed his visible eye.

"Watch your mouth, boy. Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" he asked angrily.

"Enlighten me," Naruto said with a smirk.

"Shimura Danzō, leader of the Honorable Council of Konoha and the second highest ranking person in the village!" Danzō almost shouted.

Naruto's eyes widened for a second, before they narrowed. "Now I remember who you are. You're that moron who wanted to turn me into a living weapon."

Danzō growled. "Haven't I told you to watch your mouth, Jinchūriki?" he asked and took a step forward. "If I want, I could make your life a living hell!"

Naruto took a step forward as well. "I've been through hell and back, Cyclops. You don't scare me at all."

"Enough!" Sarutobi shouted. He looked quite angry, although he was barely holding back a smirk. "This meeting will continue another time. I haven't seen my grandson in five years and I want to catch up with him."

Danzō growled angrily before leaving the office, quickly followed by others. Few seconds later, only Sarutobi, Naruto and Jiraiya, who walked out of the shadows with a grin on his face, remained. Sarutobi stood up and walked over to Naruto with a smile. Naruto returned the smile and hugged the old man.

"I missed you, Jiji," Naruto said, holding back a tear.

"I missed you too, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi replied before taking a step back. He looked Naruto over and smiled. "You're taller than me now," Naruto grinned. Sarutobi then sat back in his chair. "Well, sit down, Naruto-kun, and tell me what you've been up to for the last five years."

Naruto sat down and relaxed in his chair. "Well, after we got to Resembool, I received my new arm," he said and pulled up his sleeve, revealing his auto-mail. Saurotbi seemed amazed at how the arm seemed so real while covered. Naruto then pulled the sleeve back and continued. "After the operation, Jiraiya had to go to check on his spy network while I had to stay for a rehabilitation process. While recovering, I've discovered alchemy and met Izumi-sensei who trained me in it for the next year."

Sarutobi's eyes widened. "You've learned alchemy?"

"You know about it?" Naruto was quite surprised that the old man knew about it since Jiraiya didn't know anything about it.

"When I was young, Tobirama-sensei told me stories about ancient alchemists. He said all their knowledge died along with them. They were told to have amazing powers, which ninjas could never understand," he said in awe. "If we taught alchemy to our ninjas-"

"Don't even think about it, Jiji," Naruto cut him off. "Alchemy is my clan art from now on and I sure as hell won't teach it to anyone."

Sarutobi sighed. "Nothing I say could change your mind?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Very well," Sarutobi said, slightly saddened, but then he smiled. "Please continue with your story."

"After Jiraiya returned, we continued our travels and he started my training. I won't go deep into it, but he can tell you I'm pretty strong now," Naruto said with a grin. "During my training, we did some missions as mercenaries to boost up my experience."

Sarutobi nodded. "I also noticed your hair is a bit different."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Well, I had a little accident with alcemy."

Sarutobi chuckled. "I have to say it looks good on you," he looked outside and noticed the sun setting. "Anyway, I'm sure you're tired from your journey so it would be for the best to finish this meeting now. I've arranged you an apartment in the jōnin building. Your old one was burned to the ground and I don't think anyone would mess with the other jōnins."

"Thanks, Jiji," Naruto said with a smile before he frowned. "About the guy whose ass I kicked today?"

Sarutobi nodded. "I've been told about that. He confessed cutting your arm off and is put in jail for quite a long time."

Naruto nodded. "Good, he deserves nothing less."

"What he did was inexcusable, if we found him earlier, he would already be under lock up," Sarutobi said seriously before smiling. "You should get some rest. Your graduation exam is tomorrow."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What? I'm at least jōnin level, why do I have to be with a bunch of brats?"

"You're a brat as well, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said with a chuckle, making Naruto growl. "Don't worry, you'll get to jōnin soon enough."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"One last thing before you go," Sarutobi said seriously, making Naruto look at him. "Jiraiya told me that you wanted to take your father's last name. I ask you now to confirm it."

Naruto thought for a minute. "I am Namikaze Naruto and I want everyone to know that."

"Alright, Namikaze Naruto," Sarutobi said with a smile. "Minato would be proud of you, as am I."

"Thanks, Jiji. It means a lot," Naruto said sincerely. "See ya later."

Sarutobi waved and Naruto left the office. The old man then looked at the only other person in the office.

"You did a good job in raising him," he said to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya smiled. "He's going to surpass us all."

"I know," Sarutobi said quietly.

Xxxx

Naruto stood in front of the academy for the first time in five years. He hated it here most of the time and he was very happy that he didn't have to spend five more years here. If Jiraiya hadn't taken him, he would probably be the weakest in class.

Only good memory from the academy days was ramen with Iruka. The man was one of Naruto's first friends and, even though the man hated him at first, they became very close. Taking a deep breath, he entered the academy and walked toward his class. It was soon that he heard distinctive screeches of familiar fan-girls and he knew he was in the right place. He knocked once and entered.

"Yo," he said with a wave and entire class silenced.

All eyes fell on the tall blond and the girls blushed. Naruto looked around, noticing some familiar faces, before his eyes landed on two confused senseis.

"Can we help you?" Iruka asked.

"It's been only five years, Iruka-sensei. I can't believe you've already forgotten me," Naruto said in mock hurt.

Iruka studied the boy for a minute when he noticed the blue eyes and whiskers. "N-Naruto?" he asked with a voice full of hope.

Naruto gave him a familiar grin. "The one and only!"

Iruka walked to the boy and enveloped him in a fatherly hug, before bonking him on the head. "You idiot! You disappear for five years and you don't even write? I was worried!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I was busy," Naruto looked at his classmates and smirked. He remembered quite a few of them. His eyes landed on Sasuke. "Ah Sasuke-teme, still as broody as usual?"

The Uchiha glared at him before his eyes widened. "Dobe?"

"Don't call me that, teme," Naruto replied.

"Hey don't insult Sasuke-kun!" Sakura and Ino yelled at the same time.

Naruto snorted. "I see you two are still as loud as ever."

The two blushed in embarrassment and huffed.

"Anyway, let's get this over with. I need some sake," Naruto muttered before taking a seat in the back.

"Why are you here, dobe?" Sasuke asked arrogantly.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "What do you think? For the exam of course."

"But you haven't been in the academy for five years!" Kiba shouted. "We had to bust our asses here and you think that a dead-last like you can just come and take the test just like that?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed making Kiba flinch. "Watch your tongue, mutt, or you might just lose it. I'm here because Hokage told me so. You received the notice, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes it came last night, but I didn't know it was referring to you."

"Did you even read it?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

Iruka chuckled sheepishly, before pulling out a piece of paper. His eyes skimmed over it when they stopped at one point. His eyes widened. "No way," he muttered. "Are you really?"

"Namikaze Naruto?" Iruka nodded. Naruto chuckled. "Sure am."

Every person in the room gasped. Of course they all recognized the name of their hero.

"Your father was the Yondaime?" Sasuke asked unbelievingly.

Naruto grinned. "He sure was."

Before any more questions could arise, Iruka gathered the attention of the students.

"Sit down and be quiet!" he shouted. "Now Mizuki will pass the papers so the written part of the exam can begin."

Mizuki nodded and gave a test to each student. The moment Naruto got his, he noticed a genjutsu on it. Even though he wasn't very proficient in genjutsu, meaning he couldn't cast them at all, he could very well spot and dispel them. He dispelled the genjutsu and turned to Mizuki.

"Mizuki, if I see you try to fuck up my chances to pass this exam again, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you," Naruto said with calm and deadly voice.

"What are you talking about?" Mizuki asked, faking innocence.

Naruto growled dangerously. "Don't fuck with me, Mizuki. You're nowhere near my level."

Mizuki snorted. "You think that a brat like you could do anything to me? A chūnin?"

"Would you like to find out?" Naruto asked with a smirk while slowly standing up.

Before the fight could start, Iruka interrupted. "Enough! Mizuki did you put the genjutsu on his test?" he asked seriously.

Mizuki growled in anger. He didn't expect Naruto to discover it. "So what if I did?"

Iruka's eyes narrowed. "Then I will have to report you to the Hokage."

"That won't be necessary, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said making both men look at him. "Just let me fight him in a sparring part of the test and we'll call it even."

"Are you sure, Naruto? That was a serious offence," Iruka said with worry in his voice.

"Don't worry, sensei," he said and turned to Mizuki. "After this test, your ass is mine."

"Bring it on, brat," Mizuki said with a smirk. To say he was confident would be an understatement.

"Fine, Naruto, you will fight him," Iruka said while rubbing his forehead. "Now sit down and finish your test."

Naruto sat down and finished his test in mere minutes, his eyes never leaving Mizuki. Other students could barely concentrate with the thoughts of an upcoming fight between a chūnin sensei and the dead-last of the class.

The test was soon finished and they all went outside for the sparring part of the test. Other graduates were getting more and more excited as the two contestants walked to the ring. Naruto and Mizuki stood across each other, waiting for Iruka to start the match.

Iruka, even though reluctantly, stopped in the middle of the ring to set the rules. "This match will be taijutsu only. No weapons or techniques allowed, understood?" the two nodded. "Then, begin."

The moment the match started, Naruto ran toward Mizuki with his right fist reared back. Mizuki smirked and crossed his arms in front of him. Why not give the kid a free shot before pummeling him to the ground. Like the brat could ever hurt him.

It was a great surprise for Mizuki when Naruto's fist landed on his crossed arms and the bone snapped on impact. Mizuki clutched his now useless arm and let a cry of pain. He glared at Naruto who stood right in front of him with a smirk on his face.

Naruto was quite surprised that Mizuki would let him have a free shot so he decided to make the best out of it. He wasn't surprised when the bone snapped. He looked at Mizuki and smirked at his glare. Deciding to end the fight, he swept Mizuki's legs and, with a final punch in the chest, sent him to the ground.

The crowd was stunned at how easily it took for Naruto to defeat Mizuki. Their eyes darted from groaning Mizuki, to Naruto who turned around and started leaving the ring. When they looked back at Mizuki, they saw him shakily standing up with a kunai in his hand.

"I'll kill you!" Mizuki shouted and charged at Naruto. He raised the kunai to stab the blond in the back, but Naruto was quick to intercept. The blond spun around and grabbed Mizuki's outstretched arm and pulled the man down on his waiting knee. Naruto's knee landed directly at the same spot where he punched the man before and a distinctive sound of breaking ribs was heard. Mizuki then slumped down on the ground, unconscious.

"Idiot," Naruto muttered and walked away.

Iruka was first to recover and he tied Mizuki up before calling for some ANBU to take the man away.

"A-alright, let's continue the exam," Iruka said and started to call out names.

The spars were rather boring in Naruto's opinion. Some of the students completely sucked and only few made him somewhat interested. From what he saw, Sasuke was the best out of all of them. He was followed by Kiba and Hinata who, although very shy, knew how to fight. Soon all matches ended and they went back inside for the ninjutsu exam.

"Alright, when I call your name, you will do the three techniques you've learned in the academy," Iruka said and started to call out names.

Naruto was amazed at how many people failed to do these simple techniques. Sure he couldn't do a regular clone, but he had much, much more chakra then the others. In the end only eight people passed before it was Naruto's turn. He didn't know why he had to go last, but didn't care either. He saw Sasuke sending him a 'Let's see if you can do better than me' look, since he created ten clones, seven more than others.

"Alright, Namikaze Naruto, it's your turn," Iruka said and smiled at the boy.

Naruto nodded with a smirk, but didn't leave his seat. Iruka was about to ask him to come down, when nine shadow clones appeared around Naruto. The clones then walked to the front of the class where Iruka stood amazed. The clones then transformed into the nine students in the front row, before each clone replaced himself with the original student.

"W-were those shadow clones?" Iruka asked disbelievingly.

Naruto flashed him a grin. "They sure were."

"Iruka-sensei, what are shadow clones?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"They are solid clones. That technique is B-ranked kinjutsu due to the enormous strain it places on the user's chakra," Iruka said, still in awe before he recovered. "Anyway, Naruto you pass."

Naruto grinned and took a black-stripped forehead protector from the desk.

"To those who passed, congratulations. You will come here tomorrow for team placements. To the others, I'm sorry you didn't pass so train hard and you' pass next year," Iruka said sincerely. "Now you're all free to go."

The students started leaving, but Naruto stayed for a while. When the last student left, Naruto approached his sensei.

"So, Iruka-sensei, how's life been treating you?" Naruto asked.

"Same old, teaching kids and all," Iruka replied before his face saddened a little. "I've heard you lost your arm."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, the bastard cut it off. Don't worry though, he got what was coming to him."

Iruka nodded. "May I see?"

Naruto nodded and pulled up his sleeve. Iruka took a moment to study the arm. It really was amazing how realistic it was. He smiled at the blond who pulled the sleeve back down.

"We should get some ramen sometime," Iruka said.

"Yeah," Naruto replied. "Well, I gotta go. See ya tomorrow!"

Iruka nodded. "Yeah, see ya tomorrow," he said and the blond left.

* * *

**And that's it for now.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is another chapter, guys.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Naruto looked at Iruka like he had grown a second head. He took a second to recover, but still couldn't find anything wrong with his hearing. It was clear as the sky outside, he was on a team with the most arrogant bastard in Konoha and his most loyal fan-girl.

Naruto let his head drop on the desk with a loud thud, which got him several amused glances. If he looked at Iruka, he would notice a small grin on his face as he continued to read out the team placements. He knew why Naruto was so unhappy since he remembered how the blond was treated by his new teammates before he left with Jiraiya.

"And that's it," Iruka spoke finally and smiled at his students. "I congratulate you all for passing and wish you luck in the future. Your senseis should arrive any minute now, so sit tight and wait," then he left, leaving nine fresh genin to wait for their senseis.

"This sucks," Naruto muttered, his head still down.

"Why are you complaining, Naruto-baka?" Sakura asked. "You get to be on the team with Sasuke-kun!"

"Yeah, cheer up, dude," Kiba said, albeit a little meekly. "We're ninjas now. Isn't that amazing?"

Naruto gave him an annoyed look. "Mutt, I've been a ninja for the last four years. I've been around the world, doing missions and now I'm stuck with greenhorns," he said, ignoring the amazed and jealous looks he received. "Now shut your traps so I can get some sleep."

Sakura stood up. "You can't sleep now, baka! Our sensei will arrive soon," she yelled at the blond.

Naruto shook his head. "Hatake Kakashi is always late for everything for at least two or three hours," he said.

"No he won't! He is a jōnin and he would never be late!" Sakura yelled, receiving a shrug in return.

Three hours have passed and Sakura wished she didn't say those words. Other two teams were already picked up by their senseis, leaving Team 7 to their devices. Sakura was pacing around, with a furious expression, Sasuke was brooding more than ever, and Naruto was still sleeping. Sakura, having enough, took the eraser and tossed it at Naruto, who caught it with basically no effort.

"Please don't throw stuff at me, Sakura. You wouldn't wish for me to retaliate," Naruto said with a smirk, making Sakura gulp.

Before she could say anything, a new voice spoke up. "My first impression… I don't like you guys," a guy with silver hair and a mask, who Naruto recognized from the dango shop, said. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes."

Naruto grunted as he stood up and disappeared in swirl of wind. Sakura and Sasuke stared in awe and jealousy at Naruto's skill. Few seconds later, they recovered and rushed toward the roof. Reaching the roof, they saw Kakashi sitting on the rail and Naruto on the ground in front of him. The two quickly sat next to the blond and waited.

Kakashi mused for a moment before smiling. "Why don't we introduce ourselves first."

"Why don't you go first, sensei?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi tapped his chin and nodded. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have some things I like, but I dislike some things as well. My hobbies… are not important. My dreams… hmm," he then looked in the distance with a faraway look in his eye, completely ignoring his students. A quick cough from Naruto reminded him where he was. "Ok why don't you go next, Pinky."

Sakura frowned at the nickname and at the info he has given them. "I am Haruno Sakura. I like… My hobbies… My dreams…" with every pause she glanced at Sasuke and at the end squealed so loud that Naruto thought his ears would burst.

Kakashi sighed. "Fine, you're next, duck-butt."

Sasuke scowled at the name. "I am Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like many things and I dislike a lot of things. I don't have a dream, but an ambition. To kill a certain man and resurrect my clan."

Kakashi nodded. "Very well," he said before looking at Naruto. "Your turn, Goldilocks."

Naruto snorted. "That's a good one," he said, making Kakashi chuckle. "I am Namikaze Naruto. I like dango, sake, ramen, training and reading," then he let out a slightly perverted giggle, making Kakashi raise an eyebrow. "I dislike bigots, fan-girls and wannabe avengers," hearing this, both Sakura and Sasuke scowled. "My hobbies are training and reading and my dream is to surpass my father."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. _'You would be proud, Minato-sensei,' _he thought before pulling out three pieces of paper. "That's it for today. Be here tomorrow at seven and don't eat, you'll puke," and with that, he disappeared in smoke.

"Well guys, gotta go and get a drink. See ya," Naruto said and disappeared in a swirl of wind.

Sasuke looked at the spot where the blond stood with jealousy before storming off, closely followed by Sakura.

Xxxx

Naruto was sitting at the table in the dango shop with his usual order of dango and sake. He was still a little pissed at the team placements, but he would get over it. After all, in just a few months, the Cūnin Exams will be held in Konoha and he was one hudred percent sure he would pass.

He took another gulp and noticed someone approached him. Looking up, he saw Kakashi smiling at him.

"Mind if I join you?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto shook his head. Kakashi sat and ordered some sake for himself.

"So what can I do for you, Kakashi-san?" Naruto asked.

"What, no sensei?" Kakashi asked with a mock pout.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, teach me something and I might call you that."

Kakashi smiled. "Then I'll do just that," he said and they both chuckled.

"Oi Kakashi!" a new voice interrupted them. A man in his thirties, with black beard and a cigarette in his mouth walked toward them.

"Hey Asuma," Kakashi replied with a wave. "This is Naruto."

Naruto palmed his face at Kakashi's lame introduction and stood up. "Namikaze Naruto. Pleasure to meet you," he said and offered his hand.

Asuma smiled and took the offered hand. "Sarutobi Asuma, It's nice to finally meet you. Tō-san speaks very highly of you, Naruto-san."

"Just Naruto, please. Never been one for formalities," Naruto said with a chuckle.

"So, what can I do for you, Asuma?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, Kurenai planned a little picnic for our genin so you better inform your other students," Asuma said. "Tomorrow at ten, Training Ground 7."

Kakashi nodded. "We'll be there."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Naruto. I'll see you both tomorrow," Asuma said and left.

Kakashi thought for a second, before looking at Naruto. "Wanna go and inform your teammates?"

Naruto smirked. "Nah, let them come early."

They shared a chuckle before leaving.

Xxxx

Sakura was fuming as she paced through Training Ground 7. She, along with Sasuke, arrived at exactly seven in the morning since she didn't want to be late for their first team meeting. She didn't even eat breakfast, just as Kakashi told them and now she was waiting for almost three hours for her sensei and her other teammate appear.

Hearing some rustling in the forest, she prepared her throat to scream obscenities at the two missing members of her team, but she was very surprised to see Asuma and Kurenai enter the clearing, followed by their students. Her jaw hung loosely as they approached, before it contorted in rage.

"What the hell is going on?" she screeched, making others hold their ears in pain.

"What do you mean, Sakura-san?" Kurenai asked in confusion. "Didn't Kakashi tell you?"

Sakura's enraged face turned into one of confusion. Sasuke walked up next to her just as confused. "Told us about what?" he asked.

"I planned a picnic for our teams. Asuma was supposed to tell Kakashi the time and place yesterday," she said and sent a glare toward the older man which sent shivers down his spine.

Asuma waved his hands in defense. "I told him, I swear. He was with Naruto at the dango shop and I told them!" he said with panic as he noticed Kurenai's hands twitching ever so lightly to start making signs for a genjutsu.

Kurenai relaxed her hands. "But if you told him, then why is he late?" then she palmed her face. "You should've told him that the picnic starts at noon."

Asuma looked at her in confusion, before it dawned upon him. "Ah, Kakashi and his tardiness," he then saw the confusion on the genin's faces. "Kakashi is always late for everything for at least two hours."

Sakura's eyes widened, before she struck the ground with her foot. She was about to throw a fit of rage when Sasuke spoke.

"But then why is Naruto late?" he asked.

Shikamaru sighed. "This is so troublesome," he said. "Naruto already knows that. He told you yesterday and you didn't believe him."

"Damn it," both Sasuke and Sakura muttered.

Then sudden rustling of bushes was heard and everyone looked in that direction. Out of the forest emerged the two missing figures, both holding an 'Icha Icha' book in their right hand, while their left was in their pockets. Both of them lowered the books for less than an inch and with a bored look waved with their lefts.

"Yo," they both spoke casually at the same time.

"Where the hell were you?" Sakura screeched in rage.

Kakashi and Naruto looked at each other, befor looking back at the others. "We got lost on the road of life."

Asuma began laughing like a mad man, making other genin look confused, while Kurenai palmed her face, again. "Not another one," she muttered to herself.

Kakashi and Naruto just eye-smiled at everyone.

"Let's get this started then," Kurenai said and pulled out a scroll. She unrolled it on the ground and a table with food appeared on top of it. "Dig in!"

Each person took a plate and filled it with food. Girls then went under a tree to talk about girl stuff while the guys talked a bit further away. Two newly named perverts read their books, while the others, except Sasuke who was brooding again, talked.

"Now that we're ninjas, we'll go on tons of cool missions!" Kiba said excitedly.

Shikamaru sighed. "That is so troublesome. I won't have any time to watch clouds," he said sadly.

"Nor eat," Chōji added.

"Now, now, boys," Asuma said with a chuckle. "You will have time for those, but you will have to take your shinobi life seriously."

Kiba grinned. "I hope we get a cool mission soon," he said excitedly.

"Don't get your hopes up, mutt," Naruto's voice was heard. "You'll only dig out roots, pick up dog shit and babysit kids for a long time before you get any mission that requires to leave the village."

Kiba paled immediately. "I-is that true, Asuma-sensei?"

Asuma only nodded.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

"Hey guys," Asuma spoke up. "Up for some spars?"

Hearing this Kiba immediately grinned and even Sasuke perked up a little.

"I want to fight the dobe," he said determinedly.

"Not today, Avenger-kun," Naruto said mockingly, making Sasuke snarl in rage. "I really don't want to hurt you."

That was heard by the girls and, in an instant, Number 1 and Number 2 stood up to defend their precious.

"You could never hurt Sasuke-kun!" they shouted in unison.

Naruto gave them an annoyed look before his eyes looked in Sasuke's. Raw rage and determination made him raise an eyebrow. He stood up, book still in his hand, and sighed.

"Fine I'll fight him," he said.

Sasuke smirked and walked on the clearing. "I will show you that you are nothing compared to the Uchiha clan.

Naruto scratched his head, while standing across him on the clearing. "An Uchiha who doesn't even have the Sharingan. You still want to fight me even after you saw what I did to Mizuki?"

Sasuke scowled. "That was luck and I don't even need the Sharingan to beat you!"

Naruto sighed and returned to his book. "Fine then, begin when ready."

Sasuke looked at the book and snarled. "Remove the book so we can start."

"Don't worry about the book. Just start when you're ready," Naruto replied, not removing his eyes from the book.

Sasuke's face contorted in rage as he rushed at Naruto. "Don't mock me!" he yelled and threw a punch with his right. Naruto easily deflected it with his left.

"Angry ninja is a dead ninja," Naruto said calmly.

Hearing that, Sasuke got angrier and attacked. He threw a kick to Naruto's midsection, which Naruto easily caught and swept aside. Sasuke then used his momentum to punch the blond in the face, but Naruto ducked and punched the Uchiha in the gut. Sasuke stumble back few steps and clutched his stomach.

"Had enough?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke snarled and began a sequence of hand seals. Naruto, recognizing the seals, quickly pocketed his book and blew a strong gust of wind at Sasuke, which knocked the boy back and breaking his technique.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "He used the technique without hand-seals?" he asked amazed.

Others were amazed as well and Asuma was happy that there is another wind user in Konoha.

Back on the battlefield Sasuke slowly stood up while holding his sides. "How'd you do that?"

"Simple," Naruto said with a grin. "When you completely master a technique, you can use it without hand-seals. I mastered this one and you see the result," he said.

Sasuke growled and prepared to rush again, but a cold steel on his neck stopped him. "What the?"

"Yield," Naruto holding a kunai said.

"A clone?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

The clone nodded before repeating. "Yield."

Sasuke snarled, but nodded. "Fine, I yield," he spat.

The clone smiled and disappeared, while the original turned to Kakashi.

"Yo Kakashi! Wanna show them a real spar?" he asked with a grin.

Kakashi looked up and smiled. "All out?"

Naruto laughed. "If I go all out, not even Jiraiya can hurt me," he said and rubbed his stomach.

Kakashi nodded. "Then all out without going all out?"

Naruto acquired a thoughtful look before nodding. "I can agree to those terms."

"They confuse me," Ino said with squinted eyes.

"I know, Ino," Kurenai replied with a sigh. "They confuse us too."

Others just watched in excitement.

"I better start without holding back," Kakashi said and raised his forehead protector, revealing a Sharingan eye.

"He uncovered the Sharingan and the match hasn't even begun? Is Naruto really that strong?" Asuma said.

'_Sharingan? How can he have the Sharingan?' _Sasuke thought angrily.

"Should we begin?" Naruto asked his sensei.

"Why not," Kakashi replied and they both eye-smiled at each other.

Next moment, they disappeared.

Kakashi threw a punch at his opponent, which was blocked swiftly, but quickly followed up with a knee kick. Naruto saw the knee coming and blocked it with his right elbow. Kakashi winced for a second, which gave Naruto an opportunity and head-butted Kakashi in the chin. Next moment they jumped away and got some distance between them.

"You're fast, Naruto," Kakashi said with a slightly ragged breath. "My Sharingan can barely follow you."

Naruto grinned. "I know," he said without an ounce of exhaustion.

"Wanna kick it up a notch?" Kakashi asked.

"Sure, why not?" Naruto replied.

Kakashi's hands flew through the hand-seals. **"Suiton: Teppodama!" **a ball of water formed in front of Kakashi's mouth and flew at Naruto with great speed.

Naruto saw the ball forming quickly and made a decision. _'Time to bring out the big guns,' _he thought as he saw the ball flying toward him. He clapped his hands and planted them on the ground. Second later, a wall formed in front of him, which took the hit of the ball.

The others watched with fascination as Naruto clapped again and placed his hand on the wall. The next moment, the wall crumbled to pieces.

"What technique was that?" Kakashi asked amazed.

Naruto grinned and shook his head. "That's not a technique, that's alchemy," he said and clapped again, before planting his hands on the ground.

A giant hand made of earth appeared behind Kakashi ready to squash him. Kakashi barely saw the shadow of the hand to have any chance of evading. He was utterly confused as to how he couldn't see any chakra in it with his Sharingan.

"How come I can't see any chakra usage from that technique?" Kakashi asked as he dodged the hand again.

"Because that's not ninjutsu and it doesn't use chakra," Naruto said and clapped again. Placing his hand on the ground, he started to pull up a long spear. "Alchemy uses natural energy for transmutations," he said and charged at Kakashi with his spear.

Kakashi was dodging left and right each time Naruto's spear thrust forward. He pulled out a kunai to deflect any hit he couldn't dodge and continued to evade the extremely sharp spear. Kakashi then ducked under the spear, and with great speed punched Naruto in the gut. Naruto doubled over and coughed, but quickly recovered and jumped back. Now they were both slightly panting.

"Wanna finish this?" Naruto asked with a grin.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Of course," he said and completed a hand-seal sequence. Lightning started to crack around his right hand and screeching sound was heard. **"Chidori!" **Kakashi said and rushed forward.

Asuma and Kurenai tensed at the sight of that technique and were prepared to jump in, but a grin on Naruto's face stopped them in their tracks. Next moment Naruto rushed forward, ready to meet Kakashi halfway there. They both raised their right arms and thrust them forward. Kakashi's lightning covered fist met Naruto's open palm, making everyone's eyes go wide in shock.

Naruto's grin didn't fade as they crashed, but it got even bigger as he noticed how Kakashi's Chidori was weakening. Kakashi also noticed this, but before he could ask, he felt Naruto clutch his right fist in a vice-grip, while his left arm was extended. Kakashi's eyes widened as he saw a familiar sphere of chakra appear in Naruto's hand and head toward his gut.

"**Rasengan!" **Naruto said and rammed the ball of chakra in Kakashi's gut. Kakashi flew back and his back hit the tree with a loud thud. His body slid down the tree bark and he groaned as he hit the ground.

"That was amazing," Kiba muttered with a voice full of amazement.

"I never thought Naruto could be so strong," Ino said quietly.

"But how did he block Chidori like that? It should've pierce straight through his arm," Asuma said and approached Kakashi to pick him up. Then he grinned, which made Kakashi slightly uncomfortable. "You got your ass handed to you by a genin."

Kurenai chuckled while Naruto laughed. Everyone then looked at Naruto with intention to question him, but the first thing they noticed was his right hand. The hand was covered in pieces of black fabric that smoked every so often. But what completely caught them of guard was that the hand was metal.

Naruto trailed their gazes and saw his hand. He removed the burnt fabric and chuckled. "You owe me a new glove, Kakashi."

"I'll be sure to buy you one later," Kakashi said with an eye-smile. So how did you block my Chidori? And what's that alchemy you spoke of?"

Naruto grinned and showed the palm of his right hand. "This seal can absorb elemental ninjutsu. It's not yet finished so techniques can still do some damage to human flesh, but it's getting there. And alchemy, well-"

"What kind of gauntlet is that, dobe?" Sasuke interrupted.

Naruto sighed and removed his red coat. Their eyes widened at the sight of a full metal arm that was connected to Naruto's body. He stretched the arm and showed it to everyone.

"This is not a gauntlet. This is a fully functional mechanical arm," he said with a slightly sad undertone.

"But why do you have it?" Ino asked. "What happened to your arm?"

Naruto stayed quiet for a while, contemplating whether he should tell them, but in the end, he decided to tell them. "When I was eight, I was attacked. The attacker later chained me and cut off my arm."

Ino gasped and tears prickled in her eyes. She couldn't believe that anyone could do something to such a young child. She walked up to him and hugged him, which surprised him. Naruto slowly encircled her frame and let her cry in his chest. The other girls also had tears in their eyes, while guys looked sad. He smiled. He was happy that they showed such concern for him, but he was slightly afraid how they would react after he tells them why he was attacked.

Naruto patted her on the back gently. "You don't need to cry for me, especially for that. It's in the past and I made peace with it."

"Also beat the shit out of the guy who did it," Kakashi muttered loud enough for them to hear.

Naruto then gently pried Ino off him and she wiped her tears. He then walked over to the nearest tree and sat down in the shade. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, before looking at the others.

"I think I should also tell you why I was attacked," he said hesitantly.

The three jōnin tensed. "Are you sure, Naruto?" Kakashi asked slightly worried.

"I'm sure," Naruto replied. "They should know since I will work alongside of them."

Kakashi sighed. "If you wish."

Naruto nodded and began. "I… was attacked because…" he paused.

"The Kyūbi was sealed inside you," Shikamaru finished his sentence, much to the surprise of the others.

Naruto looked shocked. "How?"

"How did I know? You were born on the tenth of October and the Bijū cannot be killed. Also, the Yondaime was a seal master," he said with a serious note you'd never expect from him. "I had my suspicions five years ago so I went to the library and informed myself. You just confirmed my suspicions."

Naruto nodded slowly and looked down. "Well, now you know. How do you all feel about it?"

Shikamaru sighed before chuckling. "You have the Kyūbi sealed inside of you, you're not the fox. If you were any danger, they would already restrained you. If anything, you're just an over-powered teenager with some anger issues."

This got round of chuckles from others and Naruto smiled genuinely. "Thanks, Shikamaru. It means a lot."

Shikamaru just smiled back.

Naruto then looked at the other genin. He saw Ino and Hinata give a smile and a nod, while Kiba and Chōji grinned. Shino also gave a slight nod. When his eyes landed on his teammates, he frowned slightly. Sakura looked hesitant and he knew the reason why, while Sasuke looked downright angry and jealous.

"You want to say something, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke snarled. "You have so much power inside of you. You, a worthless dobe who couldn't do anything in the academy! I should have that power! Me, an Uchiha, not you!" he said angrily.

Naruto looked apathetic. "I would have no problem with that. I would have no problem with giving you eight years of hate, starvation, beatings, loneliness… you can take all of that," he said before he started to walk away. "And Sakura, you should think with your own head, not your mother's," he added making her gasp. "I'm tired, see ya later," then he disappeared in a swirl of wind.

The group stayed silent for a minute, before Kakashi spoke. "Tomorrow, here, nine in the morning," he said to his team and disappeared.

Kurenai sighed. "I guess that's it for today," she said and packed away the table she brought.

Everyone quickly left with their thoughts running through their minds.

Xxxx

Two months have passed since their first picnic and Team 7 was returning from yet another D-rank mission. Entering the briefing room, Naruto shot a dirty look to Sarutobi for giving them the Tora mission again, to which the old man chuckled.

"Mission accomplished, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said lazily.

Sarutobi smiled. "That's great," he said and gave them their payment. "Now your next mission is to babysit-"

"Jiji, if you finish that sentence I will burn your entire 'Icha Icha' collection," Naruto said with a smile that sent shivers down Sarutobi's spine.

Before anyone could react, Sarutobi stood up and shouted. "C-rank, escort to Wave Country, bring him in!"

Others looked amazed that Naruto could scare the Hokage like that, but they were interrupted when a drunken burp echoed from the doorway.

"I'm super bridge builder, Tazuna, and you will be protecting me."

* * *

**And that's it for now. **

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys!**

**Here's another chapter for you. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The group was on the road for two days now and were walking in a diamond shape formation. Sasuke was on the front with his everlasting scowl on his face, Tazuna in the middle with Sakura and Naruto on his left and right respectively, while Kakashi was flanking from behind.

Tazuna, now sober, was every now and then looking around nervously, which didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi and Naruto, even while they were reading their little orange books. With every rustle in the bush, the old man would tense, before releasing a sigh of relief when a rabbit or a squirrel would jump out. He was hoping that the rest of the trip would go peaceful, but peace always comes to an end.

The group just passed by a small puddle on the ground. Sasuke and Sakura remained oblivious to it and passed without giving it a second glance, while the two more capable ninjas frowned.

'_How could there be a puddle when it hasn't rained for days? It could only mean thing,' _Naruto thought and signaled to Kakashi. _'Genjutsu.'_

Kakashi saw his students sign and gave a slight nod. They continued by the puddle and when they passed it, two men stepped out of it. They immediately lashed out on Kakashi and wrapped him with their chain, slicing him in pieces the next moment. Sakura screamed when she saw her sensei's remains fly through the air and Sasuke froze.

"One down, four to go," the two spoke in unison.

"Aren't you a bit far from Kiri, Demon Brothers?" Naruto asked while shifting in his stance.

Gōzu chuckled. "You hear that, Meizu? The brat knows us."

"I guess we're quite popular in the Fire Country," Meizu replied with his own chuckle.

"Nah," Naruto said with a smirk. "I saw you in the bingo book and place you on my 'Not worth catching' list."

The two brothers growled. "You'll pay for that, brat!" Gōzu shouted.

"Bring it on!" Naruto said back and the three ninjas charged.

Gōzu and Meizu charged forward with their chain stretched out, ready to cut Naruto in half. Naruto grinned when he noticed their intentions and clapped once. He then grabbed the chain with both hands and sparks flew through the chain. Next moment, the chain broke in oieces, much to the surprise of the brothers.

"What the hell?" Gōzu shouted in fright.

He didn't have much time to ponder on what happened because Naruto disappeared in a burst of speed and stabbed a kunai in his neck. Gōzu fell lifelessly on the ground as blood spurted out of his neck.

"Gōzu!" Meizu screamed in anger when he saw the dead body of his brother. "You bastard, I'll kill you!"

Meizu charged at Naruto, with his gauntlet ready to slice him in ribbons, but Naruto easily side-stepped and chopped him on the neck. Meizu fell on the ground, unconscious. Naruto then sealed the dead body of Gōzu in a scroll, before hoisting Meizu on his shoulder.

"And that settles that," Naruto said with finality.

"Y-you k-killed him," Sakura muttered frightened.

Naruto looked at her with annoyance. "We are ninjas, ninjas kill. Get used to it."

"But how can you do it and act so casual after that?" she asked with little less fear, but more fervor.

"I harden my heart," Naruto muttered loud enough for her to hear. "I block all my emotions and I act on instinct, because to hesitate means to forfeit your life. Many strong ninjas died simply because they let their emotions cloud their judgment and instead of dealing the death blow, they received one themselves," then he gave her a stern look. "But don't think in the slightest that I enjoy killing. Each kill I made is etched in my mind. It's hard in the beginning, but you get used to it later."

Sakura nodded. She understood what he said, killing is their job, their life. You can't be a ninja if you are not ready to take a life. She didn't know how she would react when the time for her first kill arrives. She could only hope it wouldn't be too soon.

Sasuke on the other hand was fuming with jealousy. He had to watch Naruto dispatch two ninjas like they were nothing, while he, the last Uchiha, froze in fear. It was a major wound on his pride. Clenching his fists, he promised himself not to freeze again and let Naruto upstage him.

Rustling of bushes was heard and frightened Tazuna appeared. He was covered in sweat and was shaking like a leaf. "I-is it over?"

"Kakashi, interrogate Tazuna, while I get some information from this guy," Naruto said coldly before going into the forest, making Tazuna gulp in fear.

Sakura looked confused to why did Naruto call out Kakashi. After all, he was shredded to pieces by those two. She looked at the spot where Kakashi 'died' and gasped upon seeing shredded wood. Looking around, she spotted Kakashi exiting the forest with a book in his hand. "Kakashi-sensei, you're alive!"

Kakashi smiled at the girl. "It would take much more than that to kill me," he said reassuringly. Then his gaze turned cold. "Tazuna-san, I believe we should have a little talk."

Tazuna gulped, but nodded nonetheless. "I-I agree, Kakashi-san."

"Now," Kakashi said. "Would you mind telling me why two cūnin level missing-nins were after you? The mission was C-ranked and with the appearance of the Demon Brothers, it's easily B or even A-ranked."

Tazuna sighed. "We simply didn't have any money for a mission higher than C-rank."

Kakashi narrowed his gaze. "From what I've heard, the Wave Country is a prosperous nation and it shouldn't be a problem for them to pay a higher ranked mission."

"What you've said was true before, but now, things are different," Tazuna said with a sigh. "Year ago, Gatō of the Gatō corporation appeared in Wave. He immediately bought all our port and trading centers and as such, cut of our income. He has been using them to smuggle drugs and all kinds of illegal stuff, while we're getting poorer and poorer."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "So you're building a bridge to free yourself from Gatō's regime?"

"Exactly," Tazuna replied. "If we build a bridge to the mainland, we won't have to rely on Gatō's shipping companies and with time, Wave Country could probably return to its old glory.

"But now that the mission proved to be higher ranked, we have no reason to continue," Kakashi said, making Tazuna pale.

"Cut that bullshit, Kakashi," Naruto said as he emerged from the forest. "I'm continuing the mission until I get Gatō's head and nothing will stop me."

"You know, Naruto, I'm a jōnin," Kakashi said matter-of-factly.

"And I'm stronger than you," Naruto replied. "This guy from Kiri," he said and tossed the scrolls to Kakashi. "Told me that only other ninja Gatō hired was Momochi Zabuza and I can handle him easily. Only other force Gatō has are low-level mercs which we can take on with our eyes closed."

Kakashi thought about it. Naruto had a fair point. He could probably take on Zabuza himself and, if he wasn't enough, Kakashi could easily assist. The mercenaries were mostly composed out of bulky civilians who got their hands on some sword. They should be very easy to deal with. He sighed, having not found an argument, and nodded. "Fine, I'm in, but I still have to ask Sasuke and Sakura if they agree."

"We are continuing," Sasuke said without any hesitation.

Kakashi nodded and turned to Sakura. Seeing her hesitation he said softly. "If you think you're not ready, you can return back to Konoha."

Sakura looked at him with a hopeful look and her mouth opened, ready to accept the offer, but the words never came out. She shook her head and determination crept in her eyes. "No, I'll stay. I am a member of Team 7 and I will not abandon my teammates, no matter how difficult the mission is."

Kakashi smiled at her. "I'm proud of you Sakura. You have spoken like a true ninja of Konoha. Remember this," he paused to get the attention of the two boys on the team. "Those who abandon their mission are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."

Naruto chuckled. "That sounds about right."

"Indeed," Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well, I guess we are continuing the mission, Tazuna-san."

Tazuna bowed. "Thank you very much!"

"Now let's get going while it's still daytime," Kakashi said and they got back in the formation.

They arrived at the sea when the slight mist rolled in. The ninjas stayed on alert for any incoming threat, constantly looking around for enemies. Rippling of water was heard and a boat steered by a single person docked on the shore. Konoha's shinobi tensed, but Tazuna reassured them.

"He's a friend. He will take us over the sea to avoid Gatō's henchmen," Tazuna said.

"Alright, you heard the man," Kakashi said to the others.

"Hey Tazuna, glad to see you're well," the boatman said.

"Hello Hiro," Tazuna said and the two shook hands. "These here are super Konoha ninjas that helped me. With their protection, we will surely finish the bridge."

Hiro smiled to the ninjas. "Thank you for your assistance."

"It's our job," Kakashi said with a smile.

"Let's get going while we're still unnoticed," Naruto said and they got on the boat.

They were sailing for a while now when the bridge came into the sight. The bridge was huge, towering above them like a giant. Konoha-nins were in awe at the sight of architectural wonder. Tazuna saw their amazement and chuckled.

"It's quite a thing, eh?" he asked.

Kakashi nodded dumbly. "It certainly is."

"We are approaching the shore," Hiro said.

The group stayed silent after that, until they docked.

"Thanks for the transport, Hiro," Tazuna said to the man.

"It's nothing," Hiro replied with a smile. "Just make sure you finish that bridge."

They shook hands with a smile and departed.

They continued their traveling in silence, ready for attacks, when heavy mist rolled in. The group tensed instantly, feeling the chakra laced in the fog. They stayed silent and used their ears to listen to their surroundings when swishing sound was coming toward them.

"Get down!" Kakashi shouted and jumped down, pulling Tazuna with him. Naruto was next on the ground, followed by Sasuke and Sakura. The object passed above them and embedded into a tree with a thud. They stood up quickly and got in their stances upon seeing the man standing on the sword.

"Momochi Zabuza, Demon of Kiri," Naruto said with a mock bow, which didn't go unnoticed by the man.

"Stay back," Kakashi said and stood in front of the genin. "He's on a completely different level than you."

Zabuza smirked. "Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi, it will be my honor to kill one as strong as you."

Kakashi's eye narrowed and he was about to reveal his Sharingan when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked to the side and saw Naruto smirking at Zabuza.

"Stay back and protect the kiddies, Kakashi. I will handle the fish with an overgrown kunai," the blond said.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked concerned. "He is very strong and I'm sure you know that already. You could use help."

Naruto shook his head. "I know how strong he is, don't worry. I'm sure he will send clones or something to attack the target if we both attack him. I'll handle the front you take the back, okay?"

Kakashi sighed, but nodded. "I'll leave it to you then," he said and regrouped with the rest of the team.

"What's this?" Zabuza asked. "Hatake, you're letting a genin go to his death? I thought the man who spoke so much about comradeship wouldn't throw one os his own to the wolves."

Kakashi frowned, but Naruto chuckled. "Zabuza, I am not a genin. Well I am, but at the same time I'm not," he said and smirked. "I am more than enough to handle you."

Zabuza smirked. "Really? I don't see how since you're already dead."

Naruto suddenly ducked and, with a spinning kick, destroyed the water clone that crept from behind. Zabuza was surprised that the boy survived the trap and he jumped to attack while the boy was still distracted. Zabuza raised his sword to and swung it at the blond, but Naruto, using his momentum, spun around to face him and raised his right arm to block the swing. Zabuza smirked hearing the cries of other Konoha-nins and, adding more power to the swing, struck the arm with clear intention of cutting it off. Naturally, the fact that his extremely sharp blade simply bounced of the boy's arm was quite surprising.

"What the hell?" he shouted. "That should've cut your arm off!"

Naruto smirked and removed his gloves, then coat and neatly threw it on a branch. "I already had my arm cut off, I won't let it happen again," he then clapped his hands once and dragged his left hand above the length of the right. Electrical sparks were seen as a blade emerged on the arm. Naruto swung experimentally few times before looking at Zabuza with a smirk. "Shall we?"

Zabuza snarled under his mask. "Don't know what kind of metal crap that is, but I will destroy it!" he shouted and attacked with a downward swing. Naruto easily blocked it at deflected it to the right and, using the momentum, rotated on his right leg, while giving a hard kick on the ribs with his left. Zabuza grunted and jumped away from the blond.

"This isn't crap," Naruto said as he raised his blade. "This is auto-mail!" he shouted and attacked.

Zabuza barely had enough time to block Naruto's blade. Since it was smaller, Naruto could easily get past Zabuza's defenses, giving him gashes across his body. The older man started to stumble back as he felt more gashes appear on his body. He cursed himself for underestimating the brat and being in a situation where he couldn't even defend. Seeing a small opening, Zabuza used all the experience he had to deliver a kick to Naruto's gut, which sent the blond stumbling back.

"You're good, brat," Zabuza grunted.

"Coming from you, it means a lot," Naruto said truthfully. "Surrender, Zabuza-san, while you still can."

Zabuza shook his head. "Can't do that, kid."

Naruto sighed. "Then I will have to finish this," he said and charged at Zabuza.

Zabuza frowned and raised his sword above his head, when he heard a clap from behind. Snapping around, he saw another Naruto behind him with his hands on his sword. Zabuza wondered why he was holding it, when sparks enveloped the sword. His eyes widened as he saw the sword crumble in pieces.

Naruto used the distraction provided by the clone to kick Zabuza and send him flying into a tree. Zabuza hit a tree with a groan and looked at Naruto with slight fear in his eyes. Naruto wasn't a boy, he was a man. A man who had been through a lot and who had a really hard life. He was happy that he died by the hands of a warrior.

Naruto raised his left hand and a swirling ball of chakra appeared in it, making Zabuza go wide- eyed. Naruto then charged at Zabuza, intending to finish the job, when two senbon needles struck Zabuza in the neck. Naruto stopped momentarily and prepared himself for the newcomer.

A person jumped on the clearing. Judging from the height, Naruto would say the person was somewhere around his age. Dressed in a battle kimono, with black hair, Naruto couldn't tell whether it was a male or a female because of the mask they wore. He recognized the mask, it was a Kiri hunter-nin mask. Naruto relaxed slightly, but remained vigilant ready to attack.

"I thank you for the assistance. I have been hunting Zabuza for a while now and he would always evade me. I don't think I would be able to defeat him on my own," the nin said with a bow. The nin's voice was something that Naruto found disturbing. It was soft and melodious, more female than male. Naruto's suspicion only risen when the scent of the nin entered his nostrils. There was no sweat or blood, but herbs and flowers.

Naruto nodded. "It was nothing, I am glad we could help," he said calmly, but he was still suspicious.

"Then allow me to take the body away," the nin said and began walking toward the body, ready to pick it up.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Isn't the standard procedure to cut off the head and burn the rest?"

The nin visibly tensed and, with a surprising show of speed, grabbed Zabuza's body and disappeared. Naruto cursed under his breath, he should've been more careful.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Kakashi asked with worry.

Naruto looked at him and grinned. "It would take much more than that to kill me," he said and received a chuckle in return. Naruto then got serious. "Zabuza is still alive, though."

Kakashi's eyes widened. "What? How? We couldn't see much after you destroyed his sword because of the mist."

Naruto sighed. "A Kiri hunter-nin arrived and I dropped my guard. The nin used senbon needles and put Zabuza in a death-like state. I noticed something was amiss, but the nin was fast and, before I could react, he snatched the body and disappeared."

Kakashi nodded. "I'm glad you're okay and don't blame yourself. Shit happens on missions."

"Thanks, Kakashi," Naruto said with a small smile. "I've estimated that he will have a week of recovering before he can attack again."

"Good, that will give us some time to train," Kakashi said, then smiled. "I'm guessing that was alchemy again?"

Naruto smiled back. "Yeah that was alchemy, but if you want to know more, ask me later," he said and received a nod. Naruto then walked over to the broken sword and put his hands above it. Lightning sparks sparked and, much to the amazement of the others, the sword was repaired. He then sealed the repaired sword in a scroll.

"That's amazing," Sakura blurted out.

Sasuke on the other hand was even more jealous. "Dobe, you will teach me how to do that!"

Naruto gave him a bored look. "And why in the hell would I do that?"

Sasuke snarled. "Because I am an Uchiha!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't give a fuck if you are the Hokage himself! If you ever try and demand something from me, I will beat the shit out of you," he said with a cold voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"Why don't we continue, I'm sure we are all tired," Kakashi said trying to defuse the situation. "Tazuna-san, how long until we reach your house?"

"About an hour," Tazuna replied.

"Let's go then," Kakashi said and, reluctantly, they complied.

An hour later, the group found themselves in front of a simple looking house. Tazuna walked to the front door and, with a smile, he opened them.

"Oi Tsunami! I'm home!" he shouted the moment he stepped inside.

A woman suddenly rushed and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay, father."

"Well thank these super ninjas that protected me," Tazuna said and motioned to the group of Konoha-nins.

Tsunami looked at the group and bowed. "Thank you for protecting my father."

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said. "It's our job."

Tsunami nodded and motioned them inside. "Please come in. I'm sure you're tired from your journey."

The group nodded and entered. Looking around, they saw that the house was fairly simple inside. Tazuna then led them upstairs and showed them their room.

"I'm sorry that we don't have more space," he said regretfully.

Kakashi waved him of. "Don't worry about it. Thank you for your hospitality."

Tazuna shook his head. "No, thank you."

Kakashi smiled and Tazuna left. Kakashi then turned to his genin. "Alright, get some rest. In the morning, the training starts."

They nodded and soon, they were all asleep.

Xxxx

Next morning, the group stood on a clearing, ready to train. The clearing was surrounded by tall trees, perfect for what Kakashi had in mind.

"Today, I'm going teach you tree climbing," Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

Sakura looked confused. "But we already know how to climb trees."

Naruto sighed. "You shouldn't call it like that. The name of the exercise is tree walking and it does just what the name says. You walk on trees."

"Ah so you already know it?" Kakashi asked and Naruto nodded. "Why don't you teach them then?"

Naruto shot him a dirty look. "Lazy pervert," Naruto muttered, receiving a chuckle from Kakashi. Naruto then sighed and approached one of the trees. The next moment, he started to casually walk on the side of the tree, much to the amazement of Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto walked to one of the branches and looked at his teammates. "Too little chakra, you won't stick, too much chakra, you will be blown off," he said and jumped down. "Now begin."

Sakura nodded and immediately began the exercise. Sasuke scowled, not liking Naruto giving him orders, but complied nonetheless. Naruto approached Kakashi who raised a questioning brow behind his book.

"What can I help you with, Naruto?" he asked.

"You said you wanted me to call you sensei?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded. "You want me to teach you?" Naruto nodded. "Well follow me then," Kakashi said with an eye-smile and the two walked from the clearing, leaving the other two.

The two reached another clearing and stood in the middle. Kakashi stayed silent for a minute, before he smiled.

"I think I have a perfect move for you," he said.

Naruto just grinned.

Xxxx

Evening came and Kakashi, along with exhausted Sasuke and Sakura, sat at the dinner table with Tazuna's family. Few moments ago, they met Tsunami's son, Inari, who wasn't all too happy to have ninja in his house. He was quite rude and he wouldn't even say hello if Tsunami didn't scold him.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura started. "Where is Naruto?" she asked.

"He's out, training," he said, not turning his gaze from his book. He also saw a scowl on Inari's face. "He'll be back soon."

Sakura nodded and continued with her meal.

Sasuke was still jealous of Naruto's strength and how he blatantly refused to teach him alchemy. How could he refuse to teach him, the last Uchiha. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the newcomer until Kakashi addressed him.

"I thought you'd be out all night training, Naruto," Kakashi spoke amused.

Naruto chuckled. He was still slightly tired from training, but nothing much. "I almost did. If my belly didn't rumble, I would probably still be out there," he said and thanked Tsunami for the food she gave him.

Eatin was fairly easy feat to do, in Naruto's opinion, but it was getting quite difficult to eat when a kid glared at you. Finally, he sighed and addressed the kid. "Do you need anything?"

Inari's glare deepened. "Why do you try so hard?"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, honestly confused.

"Why do you train so hard when you know Gatō will just kill you?" his voice got louder with every word.

"Gatō? That midget in a suit? How the hell could he hurt me?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"You're an idiot!" Inari shouted, startling everyone. "You think that just because you came from peaceful village, you are the strongest? You don't know anything about how hard life can be so don't act tough!"

Kakashi tensed at that. The kid had crossed the line and he didn't even know it. He shifted ever so slightly to be ready in Naruto decides to lash out on the kid.

Naruto chuckled darky, sending shivers down the boy's spine. "Really? I have no idea how hard life can be? Were you starved, beaten, cursed, shunned ever since you could walk? Were you completely alone for eight years of your life? Were you chased, tricked, chained and dismembered?" he asked the boy, who was now staring at him in shock. "After you been through everything I've been, then you can tell me you've had hard life!"

Everyone was shocked at the blond's proclamation. They couldn't believe that something like that could happen to a boy. Team 7 knew about the arm and why it happened, but other things Naruto told them now shocked them to the core. Sasuke for the first time didn't scowl, but sympathize. He knew loneliness ever since Itachi killed the clan, but from what he heard now, Naruto had it even worse. Sakura was shocked as well and she was crying silent tears.

"I'm going to train," Naruto muttered and left.

Tsunami was first to break the silence. "W-was all that t-true?" she asked through tears.

Kakashi nodded solemnly. "Every word of it. Something happened to Naruto when he was born, something he had no control over and something that didn't change him in the slightest, nor it endangered anyone," he said quetly. "But most of the villagers didn't agree and they went out of their way to make his life a living hell. When he was eight, his arm was cut off. He has a new one, a metal prosthetic, but it will never be the same."

"What the hell could happen that the stupid villagers could hate him so much?" Tazuna asked angrily.

"I'm sorry, but that is an S-class secret and only Naruto can spoke of it," Kakashi replied with a sigh. "But I assure you, he is not dangerous and you don't have any reason to fear him."

"I would never fear him, or hate him," Tsunami said with a small smile. "After all, he's the reason my father is still alive."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "I'm sure he would be happy to hear that."

The rest of the dinner passed in silence, before they all went to sleep.

Xxxx

It was early in the morning when Haku left the hideout. Since Zabuza was hurt, she had to go and collect herbs that would speed up his recovery. Fresh breeze caressed her beautiful face and her black hair was swaying with her each step. She emerged in the clearing where the herbs she needed grew and there she spotted him.

'_What is he doing here?' _she asked herself as she saw the blond boy who defeated her master. The blond was sleeping peacefully, seemingly defenseless, right next to a patch of herbs she needed.

She slowly walked toward the sleeping blond, thinking about what she should do now. She could kill him easily and her master would have less trouble in finishing his mission. She shook her head lightly, she wouldn't do that. If anything, Haku hated killing and she would take any chance to spare someone's life. She couldn't kill the blond, no matter how much trouble could that bring to her master.

Sighing lightly, she gently nudged his shoulder. "You shouldn't sleep out here. You might catch a cold," she said with a soft, melodious voice that, upon hearing, made the blond purr. She giggled when she heard the purr. It was certainly something she didn't expect.

Naruto smiled lightly when he heard the voice and a purr escaped him. He would probably yell in shock at what just happened, but a soft giggle stopped his train of thoughts. For a moment, he thought he died and went to heaven, where angels resided. Feeling the morning breeze on his cheeks, he concluded that he was still alive and, now, awake. He opened his eyes and the thought from before returned. The girl that looked down at him certainly looked like an angel.

"Um h-hi," he sputtered out and blushed. If she wasn't there, he would probably slap himself for his sputtering.

She giggled again. "Good morning," she said with that same voice and Naruto had to fight back the purr. "As I said before, you shouldn't sleep out here. You really might catch a cold."

With a blush still on his face, Naruto sat up. "Nah, I can't get sick," he said and smiled which, this time, made her blush.

Haku felt her cheeks heat up upon seeing that smile. Mentally shaking her head, she decided to change the subject. "So, what were you doing out here?"

"Training," he simply replied with a smile still on his face.

"Why were you training? You already seem strong," she said.

Naruto thought for a moment. "To become stronger, I guess," he said.

"Do you have anyone precious to you?" she asked with a small smile.

Naruto tapped his chin in thought. "Well, there is Jiji, then that old pervert, Iruka-sensei, Izumi-sensei, Winry-chan and Pinako-baachan. Why do you ask?"

"I believe that a person is the strongest when they are protecting their precious people," Haku said while looking directly in his eyes.

Naruto considered her words before smiling. "Yeah, that does sound right," she nodded in conformation. "So, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"I'm collecting herbs for my precious person," she said. "He got hurt recently so I'm nursing him back to health."

"Do you need help?" Naruto asked.

Haku could see in his eyes that he would help her no matter what her answer would be, so she just nodded and smiled. "Thank you."

The two collected herbs and talked about anything and everything. Naruto would stay silent most of the time and just let her talk, while listening to her beautiful voice. He would add something or crack a joke, just to hear her laugh. Soon however, the herbs were collected and it was time for Haku to return.

"I have to go now, Naruto-kun," she said with a sad smile.

"Yeah, you shouldn't keep Zabuza waiting," Naruto replied and she tensed instantly.

Haku stayed silent for a moment, contemplating her next move. "How did you know?"

Naruto chuckled. "I recognized your scent."

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked quietly.

Naruto shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of it. You didn't try to kill me while I was asleep and I respect that. If I wanted to kill you, I would do it sooner."

Haku looked down. "Are you then going to capture me?"

"No, I will let you go to help your precious person. I would like it if you could come here tomorrow," Naruto said with a small smile."

"Why?" Haku asked confused.

"I-I like you, Haku-chan, and I really like talking to you," Naruto said quietly with a small blush on his face."

Haku blushed as well. "I-I like talking to you as well, Naruto-kun."

"Then, could you meet me here again tomorrow?" Naruto asked, blush still on his face. "I promise I won't tell my teammates."

Haku giggled at his flustered expression. "Yes, Naruto-kun, I will meet you here tomorrow," she said and kissed him on the cheek, something that made them both blush furiously. Before anything more could be said, Haku ran off, trying to steady her heartbeat.

Naruto stood there in silence for a few minutes, hand on the cheek she graced with her lips, before smiling softly and leaving toward the house.

Xxxx

The week has passed like a minute for Naruto. Between training and meetings with Haku,he completely forgot about the fight that was to come. He didn't want to fight, because he knew that if they were on different sides again, he would have to kill Zabuza, which would make Haku sad and that was one thing he didn't want to do.

If someone asked him, he would deny, but deep down he knew that he fell for the girl. She was beautiful and kind, carrying for other's well being. He told her about his past and she accepted him completely, even with the demon in his gut. She told him about her past, how she was bated because of her Kekkei Genkai and how her father killed her mother. He couldn't help but feel how similar their pasts were.

Now he was sitting on a clearing where they would meet every morning. It was a beautiful morning, sun was shining through the trees and birds were chirping happily. There wasn't any indication that a battle may happen soon. He heard the rustling in the forest and few moments later, Haku emerged from the forest, dressed in her pink kimono. He couldn't help but blush every time he saw her.

"Morning, Haku-chan," Naruto said with a smile. That's another thing he realized, he smiled more while he was with her.

"Morning, Naruto-kun," Haku replied, somewhat sadly.

Naruto frowned, he didn't like seeing her sad. "Is everything alright?"

Haku shook her head. "Zabuza-sama has recovered and tomorrow we're moving on the bridge," she said quietly, trying to hold back her tears.

Her feelings for the blond boy intensified during the week. With their similar pasts and how nice he was, she fell for him easily. At first she didn't even notice since love was something she didn't receive often. After she realized her feelings, she cried herself to sleep. She didn't want to go against him, but she was Zabuza's tool and she had to follow his orders.

"Haku-chan," he started quietly. "Do you want to fight us tomorrow?"

Haku shook her head furiously. "No! I don't want to fight you!"

"Then," he started seriously. "Tell him I have a deal for him.

* * *

**And that's it for now. **

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys!**

**Here's another chapter for you.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Zabuza was angry. First the brat destroys his sword and now he offers him a deal. It was a good deal too and he would be a fool to decline. He decided to let the kid talk so, instead of killing the workers on the bridge, he scared them off and sat on the ground. His gaze never lingered from the spot Konoha-nins would appear.

Haku stood by her master's side, dressed in her hunter-nin uniform. Her mask covered her face, hiding her nervousness. She really wanted her master to accept the deal Naruto offered so she didn't have to fight them. She looked at Zabuza and noticed that, through his anger, he really considered the offer. She could just hope that he would do the right thing.

It wasn't long before Team 7 appeared on the bridge. Kakashi spotted the two and got in his stance, followed by Sasuke and Sakura. Tazuna stayed at home with his family guarded by Naruto's clones. Speaking of Naruto, he was calmly standing with his eyes locked with Haku's and a small smile on his face.

"Alright brat, let me hear it!" Zabuza's gruff voice spoke.

"What are you talking about, Zabuza?" Kakashi asked carefully.

Zabuza grunted. "That blond brat over there offered me a deal. I want to hear it from him."

Kakashi looked at Naruto. "You offered him a deal?"

"Yes, I did," Naruto replied calmly, before slowly walking in front of his teammates. "Zabuza, if you surrender, I will arrange for both you and Haku to join Konoha's forces," he said, ignoring shocked looks on the rest of the Team 7's faces. "I will also give you back your sword."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I'm avoiding the bloodshed, Kakashi," Naruto said, not looking at the man. "We don't have to fight today and Zabuza would be a great addition to our forces."

"My sword is broken, you took care of that!" Zabuza interrupted.

Naruto didn't reply, but pulled out a scrool. Opening the scroll, a giant broadsword appeared in his hand. He raised the sword so Zabuza, whose eyes widened, could see it better.

"How? It was broken beyond repair?" Zabuza asked, slightly amazed.

"I have some special abilities," Naruto said and returned the sword to the scroll. "So, what do you say? Wouldn't it be nice to stop being hunted by the hunter-nins and to have a safe place to stay? If not for you, at least do it for Haku. She doesn't deserve to live like this."

Zabuza looked at Haku, whose eyes didn't leave the ground. He could see in her posture that she wanted to go with them, or more specifically, with that blond. He knew that she didn't want to betray him and that she considered herself his tool, which was probably his fault. Contrary to what he said before, he really cared for her and considered her his daughter. _'I guess it's time to stop running,' _he thought to himself as he stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Haku, do you want to go with them?"

Haku nodded meekly, not daring to meet his eyes. She was surprised though, when Zabuza chuckled.

"Fine, brat. You got yourself a deal," Zabuza said and Haku's head shot up. He smiled softly at her, before looking at Naruto. "But if you hurt her in any way, I will hunt you down and crush your balls."

Naruto smiled. "I would never dream of it."

"Y-you mean?" Haku asked hopefully.

Zabuza nodded. "Yes Haku, we're going with them," he could see the tears of happiness through the slits of her mask. He gently nudged her shoulder and motioned with his head toward Naruto. "Now go before I change my mind," he said jokingly.

Haku didn't waste a second before rushing at Naruto. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest. Naruto smiled softly and let his arms wrap around her waist, gently rubbing her spine. He looked at Zabuza, before tossing him a scroll containing his sword.

"Take care of her, boy," Zabuza said, before taking the sword out of the scroll.

"I will," Naruto replied while caressing her hair.

Haku raised her head to meet his eyes, before removing her mask. Her brown eyes were filled with happy tears and a beautiful smile graced her lips. Naruto gently wiped her tears, before cupping her cheek and pulling her closed. Their lips met in a tender, loving kiss that lasted for a few moments. Their lips separated, but their eyes never broke contact.

A cough from the side interrupted them. Naruto looked around and saw utterly confused Team 7. "Um, Naruto? Could you explain to me what the hell just happened?"

Naruto chuckled lightly. "I've been meeting with Haku-chan for the last week and I couldn't just lose her in some pointless fight."

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. He knew what love could do on the battlefield and he didn't blame Naruto in the slightest. He smiled as he looked at the two and could only hope that their happiness would last. Now, however, other issues had to be addressed. "Are you sure that Hokage-sama will approve of this?"

"I'm sure, but if he doesn't," he said and slightly dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "I know where he hides a special collection of 'Icha Icha: Golden Edition' books."

Kakashi gulped. "Then that's settled."

Naruto grinned wickedly, before turning serious. "There is only one problem to take care of," he said. "Gatō's head must fall."

Zabuza nodded. "I can take you to his hideout and we can settle this by the end of the day."

"That won't be necessary," a new voice spoke. The group of ninjas turned around and saw a short man in a suit, leading an army of two hundred mercenaries. "I didn't think you would betray me, Zabuza. Wasn't the price I offered you high enough?"

"The brat here offered something better," Zabuza said with a smirk. "Today your head falls, gnome."

"Hello, Gatō-chan," Naruto's sinister voice interrupted the businessman. "I'm glad to see you out of your hole. It's easier for me to kill you."

Gatō snorted. "As you can see brat, you're outnumbered."

"Figures that a coward like you would hide behind his army," Naruto said with a smirk.

Gatō snarled in anger. "I want his head! The one who brings it to me, gets to have those two girls for himself!"

"That was a big mistake, Gatō," Naruto muttered darkly as the mercenaries charged.

A clap was heard before screams began. Only Kakashi and Zabuza had eyes that could see Naruto with the speed he had. Naruto literally flew through the mercenaries, his auto-mail blade cutting necks at speed that rivaled the Yondaime's. It was over in less than five minutes and Naruto was standing in the middle of two hundred corpses, with blood coating his blade.

Naruto then turned toward his last target. Gatō was cowering behind, shaking like a leaf. He never thought his army would be decimated so fast. Now, the killer of his army was approaching him and Gatō thought he saw the death coming for him.

"Your existence shall end today," Naruto said quietly, but loud enough for the man to hear.

"No! I can't die today!" Gatō screamed. "I'll give you anything! Money, women, fame? Just say and it's yours!"

Naruto snorted in disgust. "Worms like you make me sick," with that said, Gatō's head rolled on the ground.

Naruto flicked his auto-mail blade, removing the blood and, with a clap, removed it. He walked over to the group, only to be tackled into a hug by Haku.

"I'm okay, Haku-chan," Naruto gently whispered in her ear.

"That was some… impressive speed, Naruto," Kakashi muttered.

Naruto chuckled. "Jiraiya trained me well."

Zabuza's head snapped to him. "You were trained by Jiraiya of the Sannin?" receiving a nod from Naruto, he palmed his face. "Fighting an apprentice of a Sannin… really clever, Zabuza, really clever."

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, let's get some rest now. Bridge should be finished in few weeks and then we can go home."

Naruto snapped his fingers. "I have an idea!" he shouted happily and ran to the unfinished side of the bridge. A clap was heard and everything was engulfed in light. When the light settled, the bridge was finished.

"W-w-what the hell?" Kakashi and Zabuza shouted at the same time.

Naruto grinned and said only one word. "Alchemy."

Xxxx

The group was finally on their way back to Konoha. Sasuke was scowling in front, followed by Sakura who would try to start up a conversation with him every minute, only to get rejected. They were followed by Naruto, who was walking hand in hand with Haku. At the back were Kakashi and Zabuza, who has discovered the charms of 'Icha Icha' books.

"I still can't believe they named the bridge after me," Naruto muttered for the tenth time since they left Wave Country.

Haku only giggled. "Well, you did finish the bridge," she said lightly. "And saved their country from Gatō."

"I know," Naruto replied. "But it's still so unbelievable!"

"Believe it, Naruto-kun!" Haku joked.

Naruto stuck his tongue out playfully, but what he didn't expect was Haku grabbing the opportunity to catch the tongue in her mouth. What followed was a make-out session in the middle of the road, much to the annoyance of the others.

"Could that wait until we get home?" Kakashi asked in annoyance.

The two lovebirds separated with blushes on their faces and both grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, Kakashi," Naruto said. "We kinda got caught up in the moment."

"I can see that," Kakashi said, annoyed. He looked to the side at Zabuza, only to find him so engrossed in the book that he didn't even notice the two. He could only sigh.

He was happy though when the gates of Konoha appeared in front of them. They passed through them, waving at stunned Izumo and Kotetsu and headed toward the Hokage Tower. As they passed through the streets, they received some odd looks from civilians, but utterly shocked ones from the ninjas. After all, it's not every day you see a feared missing-nin, Momochi Zabuza, walking through the streets with an 'Icha Icha' book in his hands.

Eventually they reached the Tower and entered without any fuss. Knocking on the door of Hokage's office and hearing the approval to enter, Team 7, along with two others entered.

"Yo, Jiji, we're back!" Naruto yelled as soon as they stepped in the office. Others, except Kakashi, were shocked that Naruto called the Hokage like that.

"That is good to hear," Sarutobi replied with a smile. Then he noticed the two Kiri-nins. "I see you brought some guests."

Naruto was about to speak, but Kakashi interrupted. "Sasuke, Sakura, you can go home and rest. I will get your payment later," he said to the two.

They nodded, slightly relieved, and left the office. Sarutobi then looked at Kakashi, expecting explanation, but the lazy ninja pointed at Naruto, who chuckled sheepishly.

"Care to explain, Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked.

"Jiji, this is Haku-chan, my girlfriend," he said and pointed at Haku, who blushed. "And this is Momochi Zabuza, ex-swordsman of Kiri."

"As much as I'm happy for you, Naruto-kun, I am curious what a fierce missin-nin like Zabuza-san is doing here," Hokage said jokingly.

"Well, he was hired by Gatō to kill Tazuna, but later, I managed to convince him to switch sides and here we are," Naruto said with a wide grin. "It would be nice if Haku-chan and Zabuza could join Konoha's forces."

Sarutobi looked skeptically at Zabuza. "If you join, how can I be sure that you won't try to stab be in the back and take my position, considering the reason you were branded as a missing-nin?"

Zabuza chuckled. "Well, since you are not a crazy man with intention of killing every single person with a kekkei genkai in the land, you don't have anything to worry about."

"That's reassuring," Sarutobi said dryly. "But I trust Naruto-kun immensely and it seems that he trusts you two, so I see no reason to let you join."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Jiji!"

Sarutobi smiled. "Now, all that is left is tons of paperwork. Zabuza-san, Haku-san, if you would please stay here to finish the formalities. Naruto-kun, you are free to go now," seeing Naruto hesitate, he smiled. "Naruto-kun, this will take a while and some of it will be confidential. Don't worry, I will send someone with Haku-san to lead her to your apartment."

Naruto sighed. "Fine, Jiji," he walked up to Haku and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you later, my hime," he whispered in her ear, making her blush fiercely. He chuckled and, with one last wave, walked out of the office.

Xxxx

The moment he left the office, he felt someone on his tail. He chuckled at how poorly they were following him and he decided to lead them around for a while. He would run through the streets, then he would stop, then run again, until he stopped for the final time and turned around, making the followers crash into his feet.

"That must be the poorest attempt to follow someone," he said to the square rock with two eye-holes on the front.

The rock suddenly exploded and people under it started to cough violently.

"I told you we used too much gunpowder!" a girl's voice shouted.

"It's not my fault!" another, this time boy's, shouted back.

The smoke cleared and revealed three figures. A boy with a long scarf, one with glasses and a girl with orange hair. They quickly composed themselves and got in a formation.

"I am Udon!" the one with the glasses said first.

"I am Moegi!" the girl was next.

"I am Konohamaru!" the one with the scarf said. "And we are…"

"Konohamaru Corps!" they shouted together.

Naruto stood dumbfounded. "What the hell."

Konohamaru approached him. "I am Konohamaru, grandson of the Sandaime and I challenge you for the position of the Hokage."

Naruto snorted. "Like a brat such as yourself could be a Hokage."

"I will become Hokage before you! From today we are rivals!" Konohamaru shouted.

"We are not rivals because I don't want to be the Hokage," Naruto replied. "Why do you even want to be one?"

"Because then people won't see me as Honorable Grandson, but Konohamaru!" the boy said.

"That's a stupid reason," Naruto said. "Hokage is someone who puts himself in front of his people. Someone who makes hard choices for the sake of the village. You would have to be ready to sacrifice your family to save the village," Naruto said quietly, thinking about his father. "If you are ready to do all that, then you can become Hokage. If you want the position only for recognition, then you might as well change your dream."

The kids looked at him with dreamy gazes, which made him rather uncomfortable.

"Then from today on, you're our boss!" Konohamaru shouted, getting furious nods from the other two.

"Great," Naruto muttered. "Then my first order as your boss is to scram. I'm tired from my mission and I want to go to sleep."

"Yes sir!" the kids saluted and rushed away.

Naruto chuckled to himself, before heading for his apartment. Sleep sounded really good at the moment.

Xxxx

"And that's that," Sarutobi said with a smile. "Haku-san, from today, you are a chūnin of Konohagakure."

Haku smiled. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Thank Naruto-kun, he is the one who brought you here," Sarutobi said with a smile. "Now I need someone to escort you to Naruto's place. I take it you'll be living with him?"

Haku nodded with a small blush.

While the Hokage thought about who to call, the door opened and a woman with purple hair entered.

"Mission accomplished, Hokage-sama!" she said with a grin.

"Anko-chan," Sarutobi smiled. "Everything went well?"

"Not a single problem," Anko replied with a grin.

"I'm glad to hear that. I will give you rest of the night off so stop by tomorrow to give me the report. Now I have another mission for you," Sarutobi said and pointed at Haku. "If you could escort Haku-san to Naruto-kun's apartment. He lives at the same building as you so it won't be a problem."

Anko looked at Haku and grinned. "Not a problem, Hokage-sama."

Haku stood up and bowed to the Hokage. "Thank you again, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi waved his hand and smiled. "It was nothing."

"Let's go Haku-chan," Anko said and the two left the office.

They walked through the streets in silence, before Anko decided to break it.

"So, you new around here?" Anko asked.

Haku nodded. "Yes, I arrived today with Naruto-kun."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Anko asked with a grin.

Haku blushed, but nodded nonetheless.

Anko grinned, before taking a thoughtful look. "Wait, Naruto as in Namikaze Naruto?"

"Yes, you know him?" Haku inquired.

"Well, not personally," Anko replied. "I heard he was attacked and lost his arm. Then he disappeared and returned five years later, only to beat the shit out of the guy who did it," then she grinned. "I also heard Kakashi had his ass handed to him in a spar."

Haku nodded sadly. "That's true. I really can't believe that someone could do that do a child."

"Yeah, I know," Anko said with a sigh. "Well, here we are."

Haku looked up and saw a building. The two walked up the flight of stairs.

"Well, that's my stop," Anko said and pointed at the door. "You can handle things from here?"

Haku nodded. "Yes, thank you for the assistance."

"Not a problem," Anko replied with a grin. "Anyway, if you ever wanna have some girl time, stop by."

"Thank you," Haku said with a smile.

Anko grinned. "See ya," she said and entered the apartment.

Haku looked around for a few minutes, befoe reaching Naruto's apartment. She knocked on the door and waited, hearing some grumbling from the inside. The door then opened, revealing Naruto only in his boxers, looking like he just woke up. Naturally, she blushed.

"Haku-chan!" he instantly brightened up and pulled the girl in a hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Come on in."

Haku nodded and entered. "Did I wake you up, Naruto-kun?"

"Nah," Naruto replied with a grin. "I was just about to wake up anway," he said and received a grin. "So, what did the old man tell you?"

"Zabuza-sama was placed into ANBU and I am a chūnin," she said with a smile.

Naruto pouted, which she found very cute. "Great, my girlfriend outranks me."

Haku giggled and pulled him into a hug, which he gladly returned. "Considering your strength, that won't be for long," she said.

Naruto chuckled and caressed her hair. Haku smiled at him, before yawning in a very cute way.

"You tired?" he asked softly.

Haku nodded. "Yeah, the process of joining the ranks is quite tiring."

"Go take the bed," he said and pointed at the bedroom. "I'll take the couch."

As he went toward the couch, she gently grabbed his arm. He turned around and saw his girlfriend looking at the ground, obviously blushing.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Um, I-I was wondering if y-you could sleep with me," she spoke so quietly that he barely heard it. "I don't want to be alone."

Naruto looked conflicted for a moment, but seeing her so fragile made him change his mind. He cupped her cheek, making her look into his eyes. Then he leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft kiss. "Anything for you, my hime."

Haku blushed at his affection, before rushing to the bathroom. Naruto chuckled and went to the bedroom, before he lay back on his bed. It wasn't long before Haku entered the bedroom, wearing a t-shirt, which was probably his considering it was too big for her. The moonlight that caressed her features made her even more beautiful to him. She walked to the bed and raised the sheets, before lying under them. She turned her back on Naruto and scooted closer to him, melting in his frame. His hand encircled her waist and pulled her even closer, giving her more warmth.

"Goodnight, Haku-hime," he said softly and kissed the nape of her neck.

"Goodnight, Naruto-kun," she said with a small smile.

It was the first night for both of them to go to sleep truly happy.

Xxxx

A month has passed since Haku arrived in Konoha and she could honestly say that she loved it there. The weather was great, people were nice and the pay was good. Having Naruto by her side was even better as he always went out of his way to make her feel better. He made her feel happy, safe and most importantly, loved. All in all, he was a perfect boyfriend.

She also became good friends with Anko. They would often go out for dango or spend lots of time just talking. Anko would often come by Naruto's place, often just to annoy him, and they would spend evenings with laughter.

Naruto was spending most of his free time either with Haku or training. Team 7 would often do some worthless D-rank missions and train in between them. For that, Naruto would usually send a clone.

Time of D-ranks passed quickly and now Team 7 got another C-rank mission.

"You are to go to the border of Fire and Rain Country and assist the team already stationed there," Sarutobi said. "They have reported some enemy activity in the area and they required assistance. Considering your last mission, I think you are ready."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kakashi spoke. "We will leave immediately."

As they left the office, they scattered to their homes to pick up their gear for the mission. Naruto rushed to his apartment, opening the door in a flash and sealing his equipment isinde scrolls. When he finally stopped to have a breather, he noticed that his living room had two occupants.

"Oh, Haku-chan, Anko-san, I didn't see you there," he said with a sheepish grin.

Anko pouted. "Don't call me that! It makes me feel old," she said jokingly.

Haku giggled at her friend's antic, before turning toward Naruto. "Another mission?"

Naruto nodded. "Border assistance, few weeks probably," he said.

Haku sighed. "You better go then, you don't want to be late," she said with a small smile.

Naruto smiled sadly at having to leave her for a while and walked toward her. "I'll be back soon, my hime," he said and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

Haku blushed and melted into the kiss, that lasted much too short for her liking. "I'll be waiting."

With one last smile, Naruto departed.

Anko looked at her friend, who had sort of a dazed expression on her face, with a grin. "Are you coming from that cloud any time soon?"

Haku jumped slightly, completely forgetting about Anko. "Don't scare me like that!" she yelled, flustered.

Anko laughed. "Anyway, how is he?"

Haku looked confused. "He's good, probably was bit bored doing those D-ranks."

Anko grinned. "I didn't mean like that," she said. "What I meant was, how is he in bed?" she purred the last part.

Haku blushed furiously. "We don't do that!" she yelled, her blush getting darker.

Anko just laughed, her friend was so easy to tease.

Xxxx

Team 7 was now jumping through the trees, heading toward the border with speed. It shouldn't take them more than six hours at their top speed, but they would need rest eventually. In the end, they reached their destination in the early afternoon and met with the team that was patrolling the area.

The team was led by a guy in a green jumpsuit, whom he had seen before, and was composed of a boy, who was a carbon copy of his leader, a girl with buns in Chinese clothing and a Hyūga, who had an arrogance level almost as high as Sasuke.

"Ah, Kakashi, my youthful rival!" the one in the green spoke.

"Hello, Gai," Kakashi replied with a wave. "These are my cute little genin," Kakashi said and pointed toward his subordinates. He tried to ignore the murderous glare Naruto sent his way, but it was kind of hard because of its intensity. "Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto."

"Hello, my youthful genin! I am Maito Gai, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!" Gai shouted to the skies. "These are my cute little genin! Neji, Tenten and Lee!"

Naruto inched toward Kakashi and asked quietly. "Is he always so… eccentric?"

"You'll get used to it after a while," Kakashi said back.

Suddenly, the copy of the Green Beast, Lee, appeared in front of Naruto. "Naruto-kun, since you have beaten Kakash-sensei, who is a genius, that means you are a genius as well!"

"Sorry, did you say something?" Naruto asked with a bored look.

Lee's, as well as Gai's jaw hung open, before they grabbed their heads and shouted to the heavens. "Ah such a cool and hip attitude!"

"Kakashi, your cool and hip ways are transferring on your student!" Gai yelled and pointed an accused finger at the copy-nin.

"Naruto-kun, your cool and hip attitude makes you worthy of being my eternal rival! Since you are a genius, I will train harder than ever to defeat you!" Lee shouted.

Naruto sweatdropped. "Calm down, Lee. I'm not a genius," he said.

"But if you are not a genius, how could you defeat Kakashi-sensei?" Lee asked, confused.

"Lee," Naruto started. "You don't have to be a genius to defeat another one. I have become strong as I am through hard work and determination and that's all that matters. If you believe in yourself, the training you go through will worth more and no genius will be able to stop you."

Lee stared at the blond, before rivers of tears burst out of his eyes. "Such youthfulness! Naruto-kun, your fires of youth burn with the intensity of many suns! From today, I will train harder to match the level of your youthfulness!"

"Yosh! Lee we shall train harder so our fires of youth won't extinguish by the intensity of Naruto-kun's!" Gai shouted from the side of his student.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee cried.

"Lee!" Gai cried back.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Next thing that followed would forever be imprinted in Naruto's memory.

"Um, Gai? I think we should be getting on with the mission," Kakashi said.

"You are right, my youthful rival!" Gai exclaimed. "Let us head toward the guard tower!"

'_This will mission is a pain,' _each genin thought solemnly as they headed toward the tower.

Xxxx

Two weeks have passed and, other than a bandit every now and then, I was mostly peaceful. During this time, they would go scouting in pairs or rest at the tower. Naruto was getting increasingly bored at the lack of action and he was thinking of crossing the border just to fight someone. His ideas were crushed, though, when Kakashi said he would pair him with Lee next time.

Now, he was walking with Neji, his ever famous Byakugan active, along the border, scouting for enemies he begged to appear. He was looking around with a bored look when Neji tensed. Naruto saw that the Hyūga stared at the forest across the border with a look of complete transformation.

"Oi, Neji, what do you see?" Naruto asked.

"Iwa-nins, twenty, five jōnin and fifteen chūnin," Neji muttered.

"Go back to the tower and tell Kakashi to assist me. Gai should stay back in case this was just a distraction. You, along with the other genin keep constant watch on the tower," Naruto said.

"Why should I listen to you?" Neji asked arrogantly.

"Because, if I can beat Kakashi, think what I can do to you," Naruto replied with a vicious smile.

Neji gulped and nodded. "What will you do?" he asked before he left.

Naruto just grinned and ran toward the Iwa-nins.

It wasn't long until he reached them. He jumped right in front of them, making them stop in their tracks. They quickly composed themselves and, with evil grins, got in their stances.

"Well, well, if it isn't a Konoha dog running to his death," one of the jōnin said with a smirk.

"Let's not disappoint him then," another one added.

Naruto chuckled. "Actually, the moment you attacked while I was here, you signed your death sentences," and with that said, he charged.

Xxxx

Neji ran toward the tower with a frown on his face. He didn't like taking orders from anyone, especially not from a younger genin. He ran inside, startling the occupants and tried to get his breath even again.

"Calm down, Neji-kun," Gai's cheerful voice spoke. "Catch your breath and tell us what you have."

Finally getting his breathing under control, he spoke. "Iwa-nins attacked," everyone gasped at that. "Fifteen chūnin and five jōnin."

"What about Naruto?" Kakashi asked with worry.

"He gave me orders," Neji spat. "Kakashi, you are to join him while others are to guard the tower if the attack was only a distraction."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. "Join him?"

"He rushed at them," Neji replied.

"Well guys, you heard him. Gai, keep them safe and don't let your guards down," Kakashi said and began walking to the exit. He stopped when he felt someone stand up. "Sasuke, you will stay here."

"Why?" he asked angrily. "Why can that dobe go to the battle while I have to hide?"

"Those numbers are tough even for me," Kakashi said seriously. "If you were to come with me, you might get caught in the crossfire."

Sasuke snarled, but stayed quiet and returned to his seat.

Sighing, Kakashi left the tower and ran toward the border. He could only hope that Naruto could survive, he knew the blond was strong, but those numbers were just too big. He upped his pace toward the faint sounds of battle, when he heard them stop. Finally emerging on the clearing, he gasped.

Nineteen dead bodies littered the ground. Some looked like they were cut, some blasted with the Rasengan and some completely obliterated, courtesy of Naruto's new technique. It was then that he saw Naruto, standing completely unharmed and walking toward the last Iwa chūnin. He was about to jump down and stop the blond from killing the man, when Naruto spoke.

"I won't kill you," he said to the man.

The man was scared beyond his wit. "W-w-why?"

"Because I want you to relay a message for me," he said with a wicked grin. He received only a nod in return. "You will go back to Iwa and tell them to stop attacking our borders or I will stop them personally."

The man nodded. "W-who are you?"

"Namikaze Naruto," as soon as he said that, the man paled completely. "The Fullmetal Alchemist."

With a motion of his arm, Naruto sent the man running. The man didn't need another warning and he simply dashed toward Iwa like his life depended on it. Naruto then turned around and waved at Kakashi.

"Yo."

Kakashi sighed. "I see you didn't need help after all."

"Well, I am practically a one-man army," Naruto replied with a chuckle.

"Any special reason you let that man go?" Kakashi asked.

"It was time for Iwa to realize that the son of the Yellow Flash is alive."

Xxxx

Sarutobi was sitting in his office, smoking his tobacco in peace. Moments ago, he finished his paperwork and now, he could finally relax. That is, until a chūnin barged into his office, panting for breath.

"Can I help you?" Sarutobi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They… told me… you have to see… this," the chūnin said between his pants and gave the Hokage a black book.

Sarutobi opened the book at the marked page and gasped.

**Name: **Namikaze Naruto

**Moniker: **Fullmetal Alchemist

**Age: **13

**Rank: **S

**Status:** Genin

**Proficient in: **Fūton ninjutsu, Kenjutsu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Bunshin Daibakuha, Rasengan, Alchemy

**Bounty: **10,000,000 Ryō in Iwa dead or alive

**Action: **Flee on sight

"Well, that was unexpected."

* * *

**And that's it for now.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys!**

**Here's another chapter for you.**

**I've added a lemon at the end and marked it so you can skip it if you want.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was early in the morning as the group of eight entered the village. Team 7 and Team 9 got the permission to return to the village after they were relieved by a group of four chūnin. To say they were happy that they were back after weeks of border patrol, was an understatement.

Naruto sighed happily as they walked through the gates. He was missing Haku and he couldn't wait to see her again, but still they had to report to the Hokage. He sighed again, thinking if she was even at home or at some mission. Well, he would find out soon enough.

Something else was troubling him, though. Various shinobies of every rank, looked at him with respect and approval, some younger ones even in admiration. He was puzzled as to why they would look at him like that. Of course, the Kyūbi wasn't really a problem among the ninja population of Konoha and he wouldn't be scorned because of it, but so much respect in their eyes was confusing and, in all honesty, welcomed.

They reached the tower without trouble and they were allowed entrance to the office in seconds. Inside, old Sarutobi was smoking his pipe and doing his everlasting paperwork. Frown adorned his face every time his eyes landed on a pile of papers standing on his desk. Oh how he wanted to burn it all. He was extremely glad for every possible distraction, so it wasn't strange that he sported a large smile on his face when the door opened.

"Ah, Team 7 and Team 9. I take it the mission went well?" he asked.

"Well, yes," Kakashi said. "But it was mostly done by Naruto."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Naruto-kun, you've become quite famous through the nations," he said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Sarutobi tossed him a black book, which Kakashi immediately recognized, and the blond opened the marked page. After a minute of reading, his eyes were extremely wide.

"What is it, dobe?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

Naruto ignored him, much to the Uchiha's ire, as he looked at the Hokage.

"You're following your father's footsteps, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said with a chuckle. "Only I think that he became an S-rank in the Bingo Book at the age of twenty."

That statement made the other gasp. Kakashi took the book out of Naruto's hands, slowly, and read it. He didn't know whether he should feel pride or trepidation. He remembered what happened when his sensei became S-rank in the book, every time they would go into action with Iwa-nins, they would flee.

Naruto finally regained his composure. "But, I'm not S-rank. Sure I'm strong and all, but I'm probably just A-rank."

"Well, you killed fourteen chūnin and five jōnin, add to that that you are son of the Yondaime, who is the mortal enemy of Iwa, and you get yourself an S-rank status in their book," Sarutobi said with a chuckle.

Naruto nodded dumbly. He certainly didn't expect to reach the Bingo Book so fast. Hell, he was probably the first S-ranked genin ever. He sighed, this would probably bring some troubles, most notably, hordes of fan-girls. He shuddered as he remembered the looks teenage girls gave him. Adoration and lust most common, but what was even more troubling, it wasn't only in the teenagers' eyes. He could only hope that Haku wouldn't freeze Konoha's female population.

"Teams 7 and 9, you're dismissed," the Hokage's voice spoke, breaking Naruto's train of thoughts. "Kakashi, Gai, please stay to give me a detailed report."

As soon as the genin left the office, Lee raised his fist in the air with a shout. "Yosh! Naruto-kun, your fires of youth burn brightly throughout the nations! I must train five no, ten no, fifteen times more so my flames would reach the intensity of yours!" that said, he rushed away, probably to the training grounds and other genin could've swore that they heard Gai shout from the office.

"Weird," Naruto muttered. "Weird I tell you."

Xxxx

Naruto sighed as he left his apartment the next morning. Haku was still on her mission but the note she left for him said she would be back by the time Chūnin exams begin. So waiting until tomorrow wasn't such a difficult task for the blond.

He walked toward the training grounds to meet his team, narrowly evading the fan-girls asking autographs and dates. He could finally understand how Sasuke felt.

He entered the training grounds and what he saw there, surprised him greatly. Kakashi was there, standing by his teammates with an annoyed look sent to the blond. His two teammates were fuming angrily as he walked toward them.

"Yo," he waved.

"Where were you?" Sakura shouted. "We were waiting for two hours!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You mean you and Sasuke?"

"Actually," Kakashi cut in. "I was on time," he said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Who are you and what have you done to Kakashi?"

Kakashi sweatdropped. "Is it really so strange for me to come on time?"

All three genin nodded.

Kakashi sighed. "Anyway, here are your applications for the Chūnin Exams. Be at the Academy tomorrow at nine," and with a wave, he disappeared in smoke.

Sasuke stomped away almost the moment he got the paper and Sakura followed him immediately.

Naruto sighed. "Maybe I should get some ramen. I didn't eat it in a while," he muttered and began his trek toward the Ichiraku's.

Xxxx

The next morning came quickly and Team 7 found itself in front of the Academy. They entered the building with Naruto on the front and climbed the stairs to the room 303. Naruto knew something was amiss when they reached and he immediately spotted the genjutsu on the room number, as well as recognized the two chūnin guarding the room.

'_So that's how it is,' _he thought with a chuckle and walked by them, followed by utterly confused Sasuke and Sakura.

"Dobe, what are you doing?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto waited until they were out of earshot before speaking. "That wasn't room 303, the sign was covered by genjutsu. The reason for that was to gouge out the weak. If you can't recognize a genjutsu as simple as that, you don't deserve to get promoted."

They continued toward the real room when Rock Lee appeared in front of them.

"Naruto-kun, I challenge you for a battle," Lee said with a serious face.

Naruto shook his head. "Save it for the exams. If we fought now, we could be disqualified and that wouldn't be youthful, right?"

Lee's eyes widened before he shot his fist in the air. "Yosh! Naruto-kun, your fires of youth saved me from disqualification! I must train even harder now!" and with that, he rushed of.

Naruto shook his head and they continued toward the room. They reached it soon enough and, when they entered, each genin inside looked at them with narrow eyes and great amount of killing intent. Sasuke stiffened, trying not to tremble, while Sakura was already shivering. Naruto on the other hand smirked and took a step forward.

"Weak," he said, loud enough for them to hear and released his own killing intent. Many saw their deaths and weaker ones even pissed their pants. When he stopped it, they sighed in relief.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered from a corner with a shaky voice. "You might want to watch out with that thing."

Naruto turned around and smiled at Team 10. "Sorry, Shikamaru, I didn't see you there," he said and grinned sheepishly.

"This exam became even more troublesome when you guys entered," he muttered and Chōji nodded by his side. Ino would probably be glomping Sasuke if she wasn't still shaken up from before.

"Hey, guys!" a loud, boisterous voice said. "I see we're all here now," Kiba, along with Shino and Hinata, walked up to them.

Before they could reply, a grey-haired Konoha genin approached them. "You know, you should be quieter. You're riling up the competition."

And true to his words, other genin in the room looked at them with disdain. That is, until Naruto looked back at them and they turned tail almost instantly.

"Problem solved," Naruto replied with a grin. It looked normal, but he was studying the genin who approached them. He smelt of snakes and Naruto knew only one other person who smelt of them.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto and I'm a veteran in these exams," he replied.

"Oh really?" Kiba asked. "How many times have you failed?"

"Six," Kabuto replied sheepishly. "This is my seventh time."

Kiba laughed. "So you must be really weak."

"Anyway," Kabuto continued, ignoring Kiba's insult. "I'm here to help you. These," he pulled out a deck of cards. "Are my ninja cards with information on other genin. Just give me a name and I'll give you information."

"Namikaze Naruto," Sasuke said almost instantly.

That sparked interest in other genin. The name was loudly spoken and the entire room fell silent. After all, the name Namikaze was known throughout the nations and having information on the son of the Yellow Flash was something very useful.

Kabuto browsed through the cards before pulling one out and channeling chakra in it. "Let's see… Namikaze Naruto, genin of Konoha. Trained under Hatake Kakashi along with Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Thirty D-ranks and two… A-rank. Also Namikaze Naruto is known as the Fullmetal Alchemits and the first genin in the history of the Elemental Nations to have an S-rank status with an order of flee on sight in the Bingo Book," he said and paused. "I don't think I need to say much more."

The whole room went silent. Many were actually considering leaving the exam and take it again when Naruto wouldn't be present. Gulps of fear were heard every now and then and, when Naruto snapped his head to the crowd, they almost jumped back. Seeing them so scared, Naruto chuckled.

"I promise I won't kill anyone in the exam," he said with a grin. "And I don't go back on my promises."

Genins were actually sighing in relief at that statement, making Naruto chuckle. His gaze lingered through the crowd when his eyes locked with a genin from Suna. The genin had same eyes as he had before Jiraiya taken him. Under the apathy, they were filled with sadness, loneliness, hatred which you want to go away, but the actions of other people only increase them. His aura was weird, it was strong, but dark. Almost like… Bijū's. Naruto's eyes widened slightly, now he could understand all the lingering emotions hidden underneath the apathy. His eyes trailed to the boy's teammates who looked utterly scared being in the red-head's presence.

His musings were interrupted when the door opened with a bang and several people entered.

"Alright you maggots!" a man wearing a trench coat and a bandana, with scars on his face spoke. "I am Morino Ibiki and I will be the proctor for the first exam. Take the number from the box and sit on the designated seat. You have five minutes and those who aren't seated, will be disqualified!"

The moment Ibiki finished speaking, they all rushed for their numbers, fear of Naruto forgotten. Many were using tricks and would secretly use three papers so they could provide their teammates. Some even used more just to screw over the competition. In the end, more than twenty people didn't get the paper and, since you had to take the test with a team, almost twenty more people had to stand up and leave.

"Now that that's over, we can start the test," Ibiki said with a smirk. "First exam is written test. You have an hour to complete nine questions. The tenth will be presented when the designated time ends. Each of you has ten points and with each wrong answer you lose a point. If you are caught cheating, you will lose two points. If one of your teammates reaches zero, you all fail. Now, begin and no talking with other people!"

Naruto looked at the test and smirked. He understood completely what was asked in this test. If you can't cheat without getting caught, you cannot infiltrate a building without being spotted and the mission fails. Only here you are given five chances, in reality, you're screwed.

Looking at the test, Naruto couldn't help but palm his face. If Ibiki's explanation wasn't enough, the questions were a dead giveaway. No one under the rank of chūnin could answer them so cheating was the only answer. He knew the answers and they were on the paper in minutes. When he was done, he looked around.

Sasuke was using his Sharingan, Neji and Hinata their Byakugan, Sakura… also knew the answers. Looking at the clock, he saw that barely six minutes have passed. With a sigh he bit his thumb and slammed his hand on his desk. Puff of smoke later, two small toads appeared.

"**Yo," **the small orange toad greeted the blond.

"Yo Kichi, yo Tatsu," Naruto greeted back.

"**Naruto-niichan!" **Gamatatsu, the yellow toad, exclaimed. **"Got any snacks?"**

Before Naruto could answer, Ibiki bellowed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"The rule was, and I quote 'no talking with other people'," Naruto replied innocently. "And them being toads, I'm not breaking the rule."

"Clever brat," Ibiki muttered.

"Anyway," Naruto began while pulling a deck of cards. "Up for a game of poker, Ibiki-san?"

"With you?" Ibiki asked before laughing. "Yeah right."

Naruto smirked. "Are two toads and a genin too much for you?"

Ibiki growled. "Fine, brat, but don't go home crying after I take all your money."

And thus, the game began. An hour later, the toads dispelled and Ibiki was short couple thousand Ryō.

"Time for the last question," Ibiki said bitterly. Losing, especially from a genin, in poker was not something Ibiki liked. He never lost in poker. "There is a rule for a final question though," the murmurs were quieted by Ibiki's stern gaze. "You can choose whether or not you want to take the question. If you don't take it, you fail and you can try next time. If you do take it and answer it wrongly, you will lose the right to become chūnin, forever."

"What?" was the word that echoed through the room.

"You can't do that!" Kiba yelled!

"I can and I will so shut the fuck up and choose!" Ibiki shouted.

With those words, first team left, then second and few minutes later, only twenty-one teams remained.

"Well then," Ibiki started. "You pass."

"What?" a kunoichi from Suna asked. "What about the tenth question?"

"There was no tenth question. It was a choice, take it or leave it, do or die," Ibiki said. "As chūnin, you can't be cowards. You-"

He was cut short when the window burst open and a purple-haired kunoichi appeared in front of a giant banner. 'The sexy and single, Mitarashi Anko' was written on the banner, making many sweatdrop.

"What's this? Twenty-one teams?" she asked mockingly. "You're losing your touch, Ibiki."

"And in poker," Naruto muttered loud enough for her to hear.

"Naru-chan!" she exclaimed, making some people snicker.

Ibiki coughed, trying to cover up his laughter. "Naru-chan?"

"Oh shut up, scarface," Naruto replied with a small blush.

"He beat you in poker, 'scarface'?" Anko asked.

Ibiki growled. "You're dead, kid," he said to Naruto.

"Anyway," Anko started, breaking their ranting. "You brats follow me toward the Forest of Death!" as the genins started to rise, she added. "Oh, Naru-chan, Haku-chan is waiting for you outside."

Naruto grinned widely and rushed outside in a second. He looked around frantically, he haven't seen her for weeks, and spotted her sitting on the swing he used to occupy. The moment she saw him, she got of the swing and tackled him in a hug.

"Naruto-kun, I missed you!" she said.

"I missed you to, Haku-chan," he said and cupped her cheek and pulled her in a long, tender kiss. When they separated, their eyes never wavered. "Damn, how I wish I don't have this damn exam to finish."

Haku giggled. "Then you better reach the tower soon."

"Tower?" he asked confused.

"You'll see," she replied with a wink. "Anyway, you better go and I'll see you later."

Naruto growled at the predicament and, with a one last kiss, he ran toward the forest, cursing the heavens for making him leave Haku again. He appeared among the genins few minutes later, just as Anko finished explaining the rules.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

A kunai suddenly flew toward him, aiming for his cheek and Anko disappeared only to reappear behind him. Her plan failed, however, when Naruto caught the kunai and appeared behind her with the kunai on her neck.

"You shouldn't play with kunais, Anko-chan," he whispered in her ear, making her blush. "You might just cut yourself," he released her a second later, only for her to sweep his feet and throw him on his back before straddling his stomach and placing a kunai on his neck.

"Call me that, one more time, and I'll neuter you," she said with a sickly sweet smile.

Naruto gulped and grinned sheepishly. "My sincerest apologies, Mitarashi-sama."

Anko grinned. "Now go get your scroll and choose the gates."

Ten minutes later, the teams entered the forest and the hunt began.

"So what's the plan?" Sakura asked as they stopped for a breather.

"We find another team, defeat them and take their scroll," Naruto replied. "As simple as tha-"

Three figures suddenly jumped in front of them. A genin team from Iwagakure looking at them, or more specifically at Naruto, with pure hatred in their eyes. Naruto tensed, there was a lot of power in them, more than a genin should have. He also noticed they were wearing henges. With a sigh, he turned to his teammates.

"Guys, you go on and hide. I will take care of these three," he said seriously.

"Why should I, dobe? I'm not afraid of them," Sasuke replied with a smirk.

"Listen you arrogant idiot! They are not genin, their chakra capacity is too big for a genin and they are under transformation. If they managed to pass through our security so easy, they must be at least at Kakashi's level," Sasuke's smirk disappeared instantly. "They are here after me. Hide somewhere and I'll find you later."

"A-are you sure you'll be okay?" Sakura asked worried.

"I'm sure," Naruto replied with a smile. "Now go and stay alive."

The two then rushed away from the four high leveled ninja. They ran for full twenty minutes before they finally stopped. However, they stopped dead in their tracks when a Kusa-nin jumped in front of them and released most malicious killing intent they ever felt.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun."

Xxxx

"So," Naruto started as he looked at the three Iwa-nin. "Care to honor me with your true appearances?"

The three snarled and dropped their transformations. Instead of three short genin, now there stood three Iwagakure jōnin, dressed in black ANBU uniforms with dark red flak jackets. Their faces were covered with white masks and each mask had a kanji for a color. The one on the left was 'Aka', the one on the right was 'Shiro' and the one in the middle was 'Kuro'.

"Today you die, Namikaze," Kuro said with a growl.

"Do you really think that it's smart to attack me in my village?" Naruto asked. "Even after what I did to your little gang on the border?"

"We are the elites in our village!" Shiro said. "Alone, you don't stand a chance."

Naruto smirked. "We'll see about that," he said and clapped. The next moment, his blade clashed with Kuro's and sparks flew. Pushing the Iwa-nin back, Naruto kicked him in the gut, making him fly backwards, and ducked under a sword swing from Shiro. His auto-mail blade moved fast and swept aside Shiro's sword, long enough for Naruto to punch him in the face. Shiro's mask crumbled from the pressure and revealed a man with black hair and eyes.

"You really live to your fame if you can break our masks," Shiro commented as Aka silently moved behind Naruto. The blond however knew about Aka coming from behin and ducked under the swing, while at the same time pivoting and stabbing the man in the gut with his auto-mail blade. His victory was short, however, when the man crumbled in mud.

"A mud clone, huh?" Naruto asked as he turned around to face the three.

"A man who has a clone in his repertoire and doesn't use it, is a fool," a voice of Kuro spoke from behind Naruto and a sword was plunged through the blond's heart. The three Iwa-nins grinned, only to stare in shock when Naruto disappeared in smoke and the tip of his blade protruded from Kuro's chest.

"You're absolutely correct," Naruto's whisper was the last thing Kuro heard before succumbing to darkness. Naruto turned toward the two remaining nins. "Shall we continue?"

The two snarled and charged. Naruto took a kunai in his left hand and tossed it toward Shiro, making him stop, while blocking Aka's blade. Shiro, after evading the kunai, charged to help his partner, only to get a blade in the gut from Naruto's clone. Shiro dropped on his knees and spat some blood.

"W-when…?" he asked hoarsely.

"When did I make the clone?" Naruto asked receiving a nod. "You remember that kunai? That was a clone under transformation."

Shiro's eyes widened, before he chuckled dryly. "I… guess we were nowhere near your level… Namikaze," and with that, his eyes rolled back and he fell forward, dead.

Meanwhile, the real Naruto was engaged in a kenjutsu fight with Aka. The man was a good swordsman, Naruto had to admit that, but he was also angry and, as Naruto would say, an angry ninja is a dead ninja.

"It seems that you're the only one left," Naruto said after he received the memories of his clone. "You can still give up."

Aka snarled under his mask. "Never, Namikaze scum!" he shouted and charged, pointing his blade at Naruto's heart.

Naruto sighed and with his right arm, deflected the blade, while his left shot up and, with great amount of strength, crushed Aka's windpipe. Aka dropped on his knees, his ability to breathe removed, until darkness surrounded him and he fell down, dead.

Naruto wiped his blade clean and removed it with a clap. After searching the bodies and taking a scroll, that was luckily the one he needed, he pulled out a scroll and, without a word, sealed the three corpses in it. Pocketing them, he bit his thumb and slammed it to the ground. In a puff of smoke, Gamakichi appeared.

"**Yo, what'cha need?" **the toad asked.

"Hey, Kichi, how's your tracking?" Naruto asked.

"**It's good," **Gamakichi replied with a grin.

"I got separated from my team," Naruto replied. "Sniff around and tell me what you smell."

The toad started to sniff around and few minutes later, his face grimaced in disgust. **"In that direction is your team, they are alive but incapacitated," **Kichi said and pointed to the north. **"But there, I smell snakes. A fight between two snake summoners, I think."**

Naruto's eyes bulged in shock. "No… he can't be here…" he muttered.

"**Who, bro?" **Kichi asked.

"Orochimaru," Naruto replied making the toad shiver. "You can go, Kichi, I can handle things from here."

Gamakichi nodded and dispelled, while Naruto ran in the direction of the snakes. He really didn't want that his suspicions are confirmed. Few minutes of running later, he reached a clearing. He saw Anko on the ground, hurt and Orochimaru standing above her with Kusanagi in his hand, poised to strike. Without hesitation, he blew a gust of wind at the Sannin to separate him from Anko. Orochimaru, not expecting an attack, crashed into a tree.

"This was certainly a surprise," Orochimaru said with a chuckle after he emerged. "Who dares to attack me?"

"That would be me," Naruto replied seriously.

"Ah, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru said. "I wish I could stay here and play, but I have other business to do," he said with a sick smile as he started to submerge in the ground. "Oh and remember, Anko-chan, don't cancel the exams or Konoha will burn."

As he disappeared in the ground, Naruto released a relieved sigh. "Damn, I thought I'd have to fight him," he muttered as he walked toward Anko.

Anko chuckled dryly. "Oh? Is the big, bad alchemist afraid of the snake?"

Naruto scoffed. "Yeah right, but if I had to fight him, I'd rather do that fully rested and not after fighting three Iwa jōnin."

"What?" Anko asked perplexed.

"I'll tell you later," he said and picked up bridal style, making her blush. "Now I have to get you out of here."

"Aren't you a ninja in a white armor, huh?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "But you should worry about your teammates. I think the snake marked the Uchiha."

Naruto stiffened. "Shit, I have to get him out of here. Hold tight," he said and rushed toward where his teammates were.

Anko just wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and leaned her head in his chest. Something about being in his arms, made her feel safe.

It didn't take long for Naruto to reach his teammates. Sakura was currently tending Sasuke's fever in tree-hole. Her head snapped when she heard movement, but she visibly relaxed when she saw that it was Naruto. She was curious though why that crazy proctor lady was in his arms.

"Naruto! Where were you, I was worried!" she exclaimed.

"After I finished with those three, I found Anko and the guy who attacked you," he said. "Did he say anything to you?"

Sakura nodded slowly. "He said his name was Orochimaru and that Sasuke-kun will seek him out for power."

Naruto nodded and two more clones appeared. "Sakura, we're heading for the tower. That mark on Sasuke's neck has to be treated. Hop on the clones back so we can get there soon."

Sakura looked at the clone before sighing and climbing on his back. The other clone picked Sasuke and hoisted him on his shoulder.

"Alright, let's go," Naruto said and the three clones begun to run.

It didn't take them long to reach the tower. Naruto would summon clones to clear any opposition while they were traveling and soon they entered through the doors of the tower. Naruto took the two scrolls and opened them, before tossing them away. The scrolls smoked and Kakashi appeared.

"Yo," he said cheerfully, before seeing three Naruto's carrying three different people. "What happened?" he asked seriously.

"Orochimaru," Naruto replied. "Take Sasuke and treat his hickey while I take these two to the infirmary."

Kakashi nodded and took Sasuke from the clone's shoulder. With a nod the clone dispelled and Kakashi left for the basement to seal the Curse Mark. Naruto and his clone went to the infirmary to get the two women treated.

"Anybody here?" he asked as he entered.

The infirmary was actually a room with ten beds, separated with curtains. Naruto looked around for someone when a figure appeared.

"How can I help… Naruto?" Haku appeared in the room.

"Haku-chan? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked confused.

"I'm a medic for the exams," she said before eyeing the strangely grinning Anko in her boyfriend's arms. "What happened?"

"They were attacked," Naruto replied and laid the two girls on the beds. "Patch them up, will you? I need a shower."

"You can go to my room, Naruto-kun. It's just down the hall to the right. I'll meet you later, okay?" Haku offered.

"Thanks, Haku-chan," Naruto replied with a smile. Then he turned to Anko. "If the Hokage asks, tell him I'll talk to him tomorrow and Sakura," he turned to the pink-haired girl. "Don't worry about Sasuke. He'll be an arrogant ass again in no time."

Sakura managed a nod and a small smile. With a final wave, Naruto then left the room.

Xxxx

Haku was slightly fidgeting as she walked toward her room. Anko told her everything what happened in the forest, meaning that she now knew how close Naruto was to dying. She didn't want to lose him, especially after only few months. She shook her head and sighed, before entering her room.

By the moonlight that shone in the room, she could see that the bed was occupied. Haku smiled as she looked at her boyfriend's sleeping face. He always looked so peaceful, with a small smile when she was b his side, or a cute frown when she wasn't. His hair wasn't tied in a braid, but flowed freely around his head. She was always slightly jealous at how soft his hair was and he wasn't even trying.

She walked quietly toward the bed, so she wouldn't wake him up, but the noise reached his ears and his eyes fluttered open. Bright blue met chocolate brown and smiles appeared on their faces. Haku practically glided toward the bed as she slowly removed her clothes. Piece by piece of her chūnin uniform was removed and, when she stood by the bed, she was clad only in her black underwear.

Naruto blushed at the sight of his half-naked girlfriend. She looked so beautiful to him and the moonlight only enhanced her beauty. He sat up and placed his hand on her waist, feeling her soft skin on the tips of his fingers. He gently pulled her on his lap and hugged her waist, his eyes never leaving hers. She shivered when the cold metal of his auto-mail brushed against her skin. She couldn't take it anymore and she plunged forward capturing his lips in a passionate kiss.

Their tongues danced around each other as they explored their partner's lips. Naruto loved her taste and he would do anything just to get more of it. Haku's arms wrapped around his head in an effort to deepen the kiss. Naruto gladly complied and hugged her waist tighter. No sound other than the smacking of their lips was heard for the next few minutes. When they separated, their eyes locked again and they could see the longing and lust in each other's eyes. Words were not needed, everything was written in their eyes.

Tonight, they will become one.

**Lemon**

Naruto's hands swiftly unclasped Haku's bra and threw it across the room. His mouth lowered slowly toward her breasts, his hot breath tickling her hardened nipples. As his mouth latched onto her left nipple, his left hand traveled to her right breast. She moaned, feeling his tongue circling her nipple while his hand was gently kneading the other breast. His fingers then pinched the nipple, making her whimper in pleasure.

Then he switched sides and his mouth attacked her other nipple. Her arms wrapped around his head, bringing him closer to her and putting more pressure on her breasts. She gasped when the fingers of his auto-mail began to trace her spine. It was cold and sent shivers throughout her boy, but at the same time, it was extremely pleasurable.

Naruto detached himself off her nipple, making her pout cutely, but the pout turned into another gasp as his mouth traveled up, kissing and licking her neck and collarbone. He nipped the spot on the junction of her neck and shoulder and she yelped, before she moaned again as he licked the spot. He then began kissing up her neck and jaw line, before their lips connected again in another passionate kiss.

Haku then placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him down on the bed. She smiled at his confused look as she lowered her head and began planting kisses over his jaw, trailing down the neck and chest, before resting above his stomach. She blushed as her hands grabbed the hem of his boxers, before swiftly removing them, revealing his stiff manhood to the world.

"Oh my…" she gasped at his size. He was long and incredibly thick and she didn't know if it would fit inside of her. Looking in his eyes, she could see that he wanted this, but at the same time he didn't want her to push herself. Steeling her resolve, she leaned down and licked the head.

Naruto's gasp of pleasure entered her ears and, with boosted confidence, she began to lick more. Her right hand began stroking the thick shaft while her left massaged his balls. She looked at him and saw that he was trying his best not to moan and, with a smirk that Naruto thought would never see on her face, she gave him a long lick from the base to the top, before putting the head in her mouth.

"Oh Kami…" Naruto grunted in pleasure. He never felt like this, it was unbelievable. The way Haku's tongue licked around the head while stoking him sent him closer and closer to the edge. He tried to hold it in as long as he could, but feeling something like this for the first time, was just too much. With one las grunt, he released his seed straight into Haku's mouth.

Haku's eyes widened when she felt his hot seed hit the back of her throat. She tried to swallow as much as she could, but some still managed to drip from the corners of her mouth onto her chin. The seed was salty and slightly bitter, but nevertheless, she liked the taste. It was Naruto's and that made it so much more special. With one last gulp, she released his penis from her mouth and collected the seed from her chin with her finger and licked it off.

"Was it good?" she asked seductively, something that Naruto never thought his innocent, sweet Haku-chan could do. He could only nod dumbly and watch as she smiled and leaned forward to capture his lips again. Finally regaining his senses, Naruto grabbed her shoulders and, with a tug, he rolled her on her back.

"It's my turn to please you now, my hime," he whispered in her ear, making her shiver in delight. His lips began planting kisses all over her body, before resting in front of her wet womanhood. The black panties she wore were soaked with her juices and her scent drove him wild. He blew on her covered vagina, which earned him a gasp of pleasure. He grinned and licked along the fabric, making her toes curl in pleasure. His fingers grabbed the sides of her panties and he began to slowly pull them off, while at the same time planting kisses over her legs.

With the panties off, he leaned back down over her most private place and licked again. He loved her taste. It was sweet and tasty and he just had to have more. His tongue began to explore the opening, licking up and down. He wrapped his arms around her thighs and pulled her closer, while at the same time, pushing his tongue inside of her.

"Ah, Naruto-kun," she gasped out as his tongue probed her pussy. Her hands gripped his hair, pulling him even closer to her. He lapped up her juices with fervor, not stopping in the slightest. He could feel her walls began to tighten with each lick. She gasped loudly when his nose brushed against her bud, which he eagerly noticed. With a small grin, he pulled out, making her whimper in disappointment, before he latched his mouth around her bud, giving her a gentle bite.

"Naruto-kun!" she screamed as her orgasm arrived, her juices spilling all over his face. Naruto tried his best to drink every drop of her nectar, not giving up in the slightest. Only minutes have passed, but it seemed like hours to Haku, as her orgasm finally came to a halt. Regaining her senses, she gripped Naruto's head and pulled him in a hungry kiss.

She moaned as she felt Naruto's stiff member brush against her still wet opening. Her hand traveled down his body, before it landed around the shaft. She stroked him few times over her opening, making him groan.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly, as she positioned him.

"Yes, more than ever," she replied and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

Naruto slowly pushed inside until he hit the final barrier. He could see her gritting teeth, trying to hold back the screams. She opened her eyes slightly and nodded, giving him full permission to continue. Naruto nodded back and pushed all the way in.

Her screams of pain were muffled by his lips on hers, but her tears flowed freely. Naruto stayed still while he was inside, letting her adjust to his size. He leaned back and kissed her tears away, all the while smiling gently at her. His eyes were filled with love and hers were the same. They were complete now.

After a while, Haku began to move her hips, sending jolts of pleasure to both him and her. Seeing this as a permission to start, Naruto began to pull out, only to push back in. She moaned in pleasure as Naruto's member rubbed her insides.

Naruto increased his pace, which also increased her moans. She gripped his shoulders, holding on tightly as he thrust in an out, his pace increasing all the while. Only sounds that could be heard were his grunts and her moans.

"Naruto-kun… faster!" she screamed out and Naruto complied. His release was approaching and, judging by the clamping of her walls, hers was too.

"I'm gonna cum," Naruto grunted out, his pace never faltering.

"Inside," she gasped out. "Cum… inside," her breath was ragged and her hands gripped tighter on his shoulders. Her nails dug into his skin, drawing blood, but neither noticed as they approached their release.

"Naruto!" Haku screamed and her walls tightened around Naruto's member. Her juices flowed out, coating the sheets wet.

Naruto grunted and, with a final thrust, released himself inside of her, bringing her yet to another orgasm as his hot seed coated her walls.

When their orgasms ended, he pulled his member out and lay by her side, pulling her on his chest.

**Lemon end**

"That… was amazing," Haku gasped out as he covered them with a sheet.

"Yeah, it really was," Naruto replied. Their eyes then met and each sported a smile. "I love you," Naruto said quietly, making her gasp.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "I love you too, Naruto-kun," she said as he hugged his chest. "I love you so much."

They fell asleep soon, in each other's arms, truly happy for the first time in years.

* * *

**And that's it for now.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! **

**Here's another chapter. This one is shorter and it really took me a while to write. It's not one of my best chapters so I hope that it doesn't suck too much and that you'll like it.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It has been four days since Team 7 arrived at the tower. Those four days, Naruto spent mostly with Haku, engaged in another round of love-making or just simply resting. He sometimes found it hard to understand as to why a girl like Haku would settle for someone like him, but he wouldn't complain. She was the best thing that happened to him, after all.

Now, he was standing with his teammates in an arena, surrounded by other genin teams that passed the second exam. He saw three more Konoha teams pass, along with a Suna and Kumo team. He absentmindedly listened to Sarutobi's explanation of the Chūnin Exams, while looking around.

Sasuke was scowling, mostly out of anger. He was pissed that the Kusa-nin, whom he found out was Orochimaru later, defeated him so easily. It didn't matter to him that it was one of the Sannin, as his Uchiha mindset didn't allow him to acknowledge anybody as his superior. He rubbed his neck, at the spot where the Cursed Mark resided. Kakashi placed a counter seal around it, to suppress the evil from the seal, but explained that it will only work combined with a strong will to repel it.

Sakura was nervously gazing at her raven-haired teammate. Kakashi told her that everything was alright and that she had nothing to worry about. That didn't stop her though, to voice her concerns toward her teammate, only to be rudely pushed aside and told to mind her own business.

Other Konoha teams had different emotions running through their minds. While Kiba and Lee were excited to start, Hinata was nervous, mostly because of the glare her cousin Neji sent her way. Shino was in his usual calm and indifferent demeanor, while Shikamaru was fighting his mind not to fall asleep. Finally, the Hokage stopped talking and another jōnin stepped up.

"First off, congratulations for passing the first part of second exam," the man spoke between coughs. "I am Gekkō Hayate and I will be the proctor for the preliminary rounds that will be held now."

"Preliminaries? Why to have to go through them?" pig-tailed girl from Suna asked.

"As it is, there are just too many of you at the moment. When the third exam begins, you will be showing your skills in front of Kages, Daimyōs and many other important people and we can't have over thirty battles, it would last too long," he replied with another round of coughs.

"Can we kill in the preliminary rounds?" the red-head from suna asked. His voice dripped with bloodlust and anticipation, making many shiver.

"Yes, the killing is allowed, but be aware that at any time I can stop the battle and the inability to listen to my commands will get you disqualified," Hayate said. "The rules are pretty simple, you win if you either knock out or kill your opponent. Of course, you can forfeit or if I find it so, I can stop the battle and announce the victor. The board behind me," he said and pointed to the electronic board on the wall. "Will randomly select the fighters, the others please climb the stairs to the stands."

The board turned on and, after a few seconds, two names popped up.

**Uchiha Sasuke VS Nara Shikamaru**

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered and walked to the middle of the arena, Sasuke following closely. Others climbed up in the stands.

Hayate looked at the two, before he swung his arm. "Begin."

Shikamaru immediately sprouted his shadow to catch the Uchiha, but Sasuke, with his Sharingan saw the shadow and jumped away from it. Shikamaru cursed that his shadow failed and sprouted her again, in other direction. Sasuke had no troubles in evading the shadow as he nimbly jumped around it, not allowing his own shadow to connect with Shikamaru's.

"I don't suppose you will stay still?" Shikamaru asked annoyed.

Sasuke only smirked and began a hand-seal sequence. **"Katon: Gōkakyū** **no Jutsu!" **big ball made of fire flew out of Sasuke's mouth in Shikamaru's direction. Shikamaru narrowly jumped away from being burned to death.

"I forfeit!" Shikamaru exclaimed when he was out of the range of the scorching fire.

Hayate nodded. "Winner, Uchiha Sasuke."

With a smug smirk, Sasuke walked toward his teammates, followed by Shikamaru.

"Great job, Sasuke-kun," Sakura chirped as he stood by his team. She was disappointed though when he outright ignored her. She could feel the tears starting to prickle in her eyes, but the comforting hand on her shoulder stopped them. She looked up and saw Naruto, gently smiling at her.

"Don't let that prick get you down, he's not worth it," he said reassuringly.

Sakura didn't know whether to scold him for calling Sasuke a prick or to thank him for helping her. In the end she smiled slightly. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Naruto grinned slightly. "It was nothing," he said before looking back at the board.

**Aburame Shino VS Kankurō**

Shino and Kankurō both walked down the stairs, one calm, the other grinning. They stood across each other in the middle of the arena, waiting for the match to start. With Hayate's approval, they jumped away to get some space between them.

"You should give up, there's no way you can win," Kankurō said smugly.

"We shall see," Shino replied stoically.

Kankurō grabbed the bandaged object from his back and removed the wrappings, to reveal a wodden puppet. "This is Karasu, and he will be your death," with a snap of fingers, he sent the puppet forward, its blades glistening with poison.

Shino on the other hand, didn't move and inch and received several blades in his torso. Shocked gasps were cut short, however, when Shino turned into a swarm of bugs and covered the puppet.

"What the hell did you do?" Kankurō asked angrily as he couldn't retract his puppet, which fell on the floor the next moment. He was about to move when he felt cold steel against his neck.

"I used my bugs to clog the joints of your puppet and sever the chakra strings connected to it. Yield," Shino said calmly.

Kankurō snarled angrily, but yielded nonetheless. He didn't want to die any time soon.

"Winner, Aburame Shino," Hayate announced and the two departed.

"Rather boring, wouldn't you say?" Naruto asked while the two were returning to their teams.

"Not all battles have to be flashy," Kakashi replied with an eye-smile.

Naruto grinned. "Just wait for mine," he said and looked at the board.

**Samui VS Inuzuka Kiba**

Kiba grinned as he jumped of the railing, while Samui, in her ever-stoic demeanor, slowly walked down the stairs.

"Don't worry," Kiba said with a grin. "I won't hurt you too much."

This statement made many females in the arena scowl. Killing intent radiating from them was felt by all, but mostly the Inuzuka who was now slightly shivering.

"Begin," Hayate said as the intent stopped.

Kiba grinned again and relaxed slightly, thinking that this will be an easy match. That was all Samui needed to win.

Samui charged at Kiba fast, before kicking him in the gut. Kiba doubled over in shock and pain, which allowed Samui to bring her elbow on his spine. As he hit the ground, she pulled out her tantō and placed it on the back of his neck. The whole battle lasted for ten seconds.

"Yield," she said calmly.

Kiba looked around frantically, trying to find a way out, but finding none, he nodded.

"Winned, Samui," Hayate exclaimed.

As Kiba was being carried away on the stretcher, Kurenai began to walked toward him.

"Where are you going, sensei?" Hinata asked.

"I need to have a chat with my student," she replied coldly and walked away.

"I sure am glad I'm not Kiba at the moment," Naruto muttered.

Kakashi nodded in agreement.

**Temari VS Tenten**

The two kunoichi jumped down and, after Hayate announced the beginning, they began.

The match was fairly one-sided as each weapon Tenten threw at her opponent, was deflected by Temari's wind. In the end, Temari knocked her from the ceiling with her wind technique and Tenten landed painfully on the closed fan.

"Winner, Temari," Hayate said as medics brought Tenten away.

**Haruno Sakura VS Yamanaka Ino**

The match was fairly simple, with the use of academy taijutsu and ninjutsu. In the end, the match ended up in a draw, with both girls knocking each other out. After the battle, both Kakashi and Asuma jumped down and brought the girls back on the stands.

"You have to up her training, Kakashi," Naruto said as his hand glowed green.

"Yeah, I guess I do," he muttered as Naruto placed his hand on Sakura's forehead, then on Ino's. "You know medical ninjutsu?" he asked.

"Yeah, but only the simple ones. The chakra control needed for higher ranked techniques is out of my reach," he said and the two girls began to stir.

"Ugh, what hit me?" Sakura muttered groggily.

"That would be me," Ino muttered back.

Sakura sighed sadly. "I lost, huh?"

"It was a draw," Naruto said making the two girls look at him. "You knocked each other out."

Sakura nodded, less sad than before.

**Namikaze Naruto VS Karui**

Naruto grinned when he saw his name on the board. "Finally, I was getting bored."

"Just don't hurt her to badly," Kakashi said, making Naruto grin sheepishly.

Naruto then jumped down and faced his opponent. She was cute, in his opinion. Long, red hair, chocolate skin, full lips and beautiful golden eyes. She wore her forehead protector on a bandana and had a katana stripped to her back.

"Can I ask you something before we start?" she asked and received a nod. "How come an S-rank ninja as yourself is a genin?"

Naruto pouted. "The old geezer wouldn't let me become a jōnin," he replied, which got a couple of raised eyebrows and up in the stands, Sarutobi coughed.

"Old geezer?" Karui asked, confused.

"The Hokage," he replied.

Karui's eyes widened. "You call your Hokage like that?"

Naruto grinned. "Well, Jiji is an old geezer, so it's okay," he said and turned to look at Sarutobi, who was glaring at him, although you could see a slight twitch of his lips.

Hayate coughed, getting the attention of the two. "Are you ready to begin?" the two nodded. "Begin."

Karui unsheathed her katana and charged at the blond. She swung horizontally, trying to hack Naruto in two, but the blond leaned back, avoiding the slice. Naruto then used her momentum against her and pushed her arm, making her spin, before kicking her in the back. This gave him enough time to turn his auto-mail in a blade.

Karui turned around and raised her katana to strike, when she spotted Naruto's blade. "What kind of sword is that?"

Naruto chuckled. "Maybe I'll tell you later."

She frowned and charged again. She raised her katana and swung it down, only to be blocked by Naruto's blade. Naruto pushed back, making her stumble back, and rushed at her, with a ball of chakra already forming in his left hand.

"**Rasengan!" **his underpowered Rasengan slammed in her stomach, making her fly back. She hit a wall, which cracked under pressure. Her body slumped on the ground and katana fell out of her grip. Her eyes were barely open.

"Winner, Namikaze Naruto," Hayate exclaimed.

"I never stood a chance, huh?" she asked as he slowly approached her.

Naruto chuckled slightly. "Not really," he said and picked her up bridal style. Her dark cheeks flushed red, which went completely unnoticed by him. The next moment he put his foot under the blade of her katana and shot it in the air. As it was falling, he slightly moved the girl in his arms so that the katana fell directly into the sheath, which got him several amazed looks.

"You know, I can walk," Karui said as he began to walk to the infirmary. Her cheeks gre more red as she felt tight muscles of his chest.

"You can barely keep your eyes open," Naruto replied. "Don't worry, we'll soon arrive at the infirmary."

And true to his words, they entered the infirmary couple of seconds later, to find Haku tending over Kiba's and Tenten's wounds. The black-haired girl looked up and saw her boyfriend carrying another girl, to which she pouted.

"You've never carried me like that," she said in mock hurt.

Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, Haku-chan. I'll carry you home tonight, okay?"

Haku's pout disappeared and she let a smile appear on her face. "You better," then she gestured to a free bed. "You can put her there, I'll check her up in a minute."

Naruto nodded and placed Karui on the bed, but not before removing the katana from her back and placing it on the side. She grunted her thanks, making him chuckle. He then turned to Haku who arrived to the bed. "I should get back, don't want to miss the information on the competition."

Haku nodded and pecked him on the lips. "I'll see you later then."

Naruto smiled. "Sure will, bye Haku-chan, Karui-chan."

Karui blushed at the suffix. "Is he always so cheery?"

Haku giggled. "He sure is, and I wouldn't have him any other way."

Xxxx

Naruto returned at the arena just in time to see Omoi and Chōji standing across each other. He climbed the stairs and walked toward his team.

"Yo, what did I miss?" he asked.

"Hinata's fight versus Neji," Kakashi replied. "She fought well, but Neji was stronger."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "He tried to kill her?" Kakashi only nodded. Naruto looked at Neji, who was looking back at him with a smirk. "You won't be smirking after this, you bastard," Naruto muttered and clapped his hands, before slamming them to the ground. All eyes were drawn toward him as his hands produced electricity that travelled toward Neji. The next moment, an arm made out of stone with a fist clenched, rose up from the ground and punched Neji in the gut, before disappearing.

"Was that necessary?" Kakashi asked, bored, as he looked at Neji, who was on his knees, trying to catch a breath.

"It wasn't enough," Naruto replied as he turned back to the battle at hand.

Chōji wasn't fairing well against Omoi and his lightning attacks and it wasn't long before he was struck by one. As electricity flowed through his body, Chōji fainted and Omoi was declared a winner.

**Gaara VS Rock Lee**

"Shit," Naruto muttered as he looked at the board.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Gaara," he pointed at the red-head who was calmly walking down the stairs. "Is a demon container, just like me. There is no way that Lee will defeat him."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Lee is a strong ninja. His taijutsu is amazing for his age as well as his speed. Are you sure that he will lose?"

Naruto nodded. "But being a demon container isn't the only reason I think Lee will lose," at Kakashi's raised eyebrow, he continued. "Gaara is out here to kill. You can feel the bloodlust radiating from him. His main goal now is to kill Lee, not defeat him. I think you should go talk to Gai," Naruto said worriedly.

Kakashi nodded and began walking toward Gai, while Naruto turned his attention toward the match.

Lee was currently rushing at Gaara from all sides, kicking and punching with amazing strength. Unfortunately, neither his kicks or punches hit their mark as a sand barrier erupted in front of Gaara to block any attack. Lee jumped away as a tendril of sand tried to ensnare him. He looked at his sensei, asking the permission to remove the weights, but saw him arguing with Kakashi. Seeing no other way, he jumped at the statue's fingers and tossed the weights on the ground, leaving two deep craters.

The crash got Gai's and Kakashi's attention and they turned to look just in time to see Lee disappear in a burst of speed and attack Gaara.

"You see, my youthful rival, there is nothing to worry about," Gai said with his flashy grin.

Kakashi sighed. "Did you hear when I said that the boy was a demon container going for blood?"

Gai nodded. "Yes, I did, but I can't stop this match," he said and looked at Lee, who was attacking with even greater speed than before.

Lee's attacks finally breached through and he managed to land several strong hits on Gaara, much to the surprise of the Suna team. Lee followed his attack pattern and kicked Gaara in the chin, making him fly in the air. Lee then appeared behind Gaara and wrapped his bandages around him, before spinning wildly and crashing to the ground. Lee jumped out of the smoking crater, panting heavily and barely standing. He grinned slightly, thinking he won, bug his grin disappeared when he saw the sand clone in the crater.

Gaara appeared with a whirl of sand in front of him. He looked completely fine, except few cracks on his face. "You are a worthy opponent. Your death will prove my existence," he said and raised his arms.

Lee gritted his teeth. "You are a very strong opponent. I must not hold back now," he said and prepared to release his gates. He was cut short, though, when a voice was heard.

"Give up, Lee, you cannot win today!" Naruto said.

Lee looked in surprise at the blond, while Gaara looked slightly annoyed. "I can't give up, Naruto-kun. I have to prove that I can become a great ninja with using only taijutsu."

Naruto shook his head. "What good would that do if you get killed. Trying to prove something is a good thing, but there are limits. You know yourself you can't win this fight, but you still try. That is worthy of a praise, but foolish as well," Lee looked like he was about to retort, but Naruto interrupted. "I can't order you to give up, I'm not your sensei, but as a friend I'm telling you to give up now and try later. Dead men can't prove anything."

Lee could only stay silent. Of course he knew he couldn't win today, not even with his gates open, but if he gave up now, wouldn't that mean that he's tossing his dreams away? He had to prove to everyone that he will be a great ninja with only taijutsu and what better way to prove than in the Chūnin exams. _'Dead men can't prove anything,'_ those words rang in his head. Naruto was right, what could he prove if he died today. How could he become a great ninja if he was dead. Sighing, he looked down. "I forfeit," he muttered much to Gai's shock and Gaara's ire.

"Winner, Gaara," Hayate said.

As Lee trudged toward his sensei, Anko jumped in the arena with a box in her arms. "Alright, all of you who won get down here," few seconds later, eight genin assembled in front of her. "Now take a number from the box. These numbers represent the order in which you will fight in third exam."

A minute later each genin had a piece of paper in their hand. Ibiki, on Anko's side, was writing down the names of genins on the board.

_Namikaze Naruto VS Hyūga Neji_

_Gaara VS Samui _

_Uchiha Sasuke VS Shino_

_Temari VS Omoi_

"Remember your opponents and in a month, you will be fighting at Konoha's main stadium. Now get the hell out of here," Anko said and the genin began to leave.

Gai stayed behind and grabbed Naruto's shoulder. Seeing the serious expression on Gai's face, Naruto waited until all genin and foreign jōnin left the room. Sarutobi sported a frown on his face while he looked at Gai.

"What can I do for you, Gai-san?" Naruto asked calmly.

Gai's eyes narrowed. "Why did you do that?" he asked angrily, something that surprised the others. Angry Gai was almost never seen.

"You mean saved your student's life?" Naruto asked, anger getting in his voice as well.

"Lee's only dream is to prove himself to others as a great ninja with only taijutsu! How dare you call his dream foolish?" Gai exclaimed.

Naruto snarled in anger. "And how dare you throw your student's life away?" he asked and received a shocked look from Gai. "I never called his dream foolish, but his will not to give up when he clearly can't win in a stupid contest which has no impact on his life! Didn't Kakashi tell you that Gaara was a demon container? He didn't even use the powers of his demon and he was almost completely unharmed! How long do you think it would be until he began to pull on his demon's chakra? What do you think would happen to Lee then?"

With every word Naruto spoke, Gai lowered his head more and more. How could he be so stupid, letting his student to march to his death and encourage him with a smile was utterly unyouthful. He woved to make it up to Lee and if he couldn't, he would run around Konoha five hundred times, on his hands while having a giant boulder on his feet.

"I am sorry, Naruto-san," Gai said solemnly. "You were right, my actions were completely unyouthful and my student could have died. I thank you for saving my student," he said and bowed deeply.

Naruto waved him off. "Don't worry about it, just tell him not to throw his life away," Naruto repliead and left toward the infirmary. After all, he had a promise to keep.

Xxxx

Few days after the second exam, Naruto was walking toward the hot springs. He got a word from the Hokage that Jiraiya was back in the village and he could use the pervert's help in training. He wasn't surprised when perverted giggling was heard by the female side of the springs, nor when he spotted a white-haired man sitting by the fence, scribbling on the notebook like a madman.

Naruto was about to call him, but the prankster side in him suddenly emerged and a sinister grin appeared on his face. He silently clapped his hands and slammed them on the ground, making several chains made of hard stone sprout from the ground and ensnare Jiraiya around arms, legs and neck.

"What the hell?" Jiraiya screeched out.

Naruto's grin never faltered as he clapped and slammed his hands on the ground, but this time making the fence surrounding the female part of the springs collapse. Jiraiya gulped in fear as several kunoichi, clad only in their towels, with looks of utter fury approached him slowly.

"Mercy," Jiraiya squeaked out before the pummeling began.

Few minutes later, the beating didn't stop and Naruto decided to intervene. Approaching slowly, he gained the attention of the females and they momentarily topped their fists. They narrowed their eyes at the sight of Naruto.

"Um, hello ladies," Naruto said with a small blush on his face. "As much as I would like to watch you beat this pervert to the ground, I need his help for training," he said, which got him a relieved and grateful look from Jiraiya. The women, however, narrowed their eyes and took a step toward him, their fists raised. Naruto quickly took a step back and raised his hands in defense. "I promise I'll get him tied up like this every time he peeps on you so you can beat him up," he said hopefully, while pointing at Jiraiya. This calmed the women down and they nodded.

Jiraiya gasped in shock. "You traitor! How can you betray your godfather like that?"

Naruto shrugged. "Your fault for being a pervert," he said and grabbed still chained Jiraiya by the collar and began to drag him to the training grounds.

"So what do you need?" Jiraiya asked when Naruto freed him.

Naruto grinned. "I need to master that technique."

Xxxx

A month has passed in a flash for Naruto and now he was standing in the middle of the stadium with seven other genin. He was dressed in his usual red cloak and his braid was waving in the wind. He could barely hear his own thoughts because of the cheering of the audience.

His musings were cut short when a proctor dropped in front of them, but instead of Hayate, this was another. The jōnin was dressed in a standard jōnin uniform with a flack jacked. His forehead protector was on a bandana, turned back.

"I'm the proctor of the third exam, Shiranui Genma," he said before turning to the crowd. "Smile to the crowd, kids, for you are in the spotlight today."

At that moment the Hokage stood up and addressed the crowd.

"Let the third part of the Chūnin Exams commence!"

* * *

**And that's it for now.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


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